How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2
What does your soul yearn for what does your heart cry out for?
I would imagine there are many possibilities.
As I sit here this morning thinking about it, this might be the question above all questions, the answer to which will tell us everything about ourselves. If my soul yearns for earthly things, say money or status or power, maybe for drugs or drink, possibly for love and romance… what would that say about my spiritual condition?
Yes indeed, there are so many possible answers…
Why is it that my soul cries out for God when I find myself in trouble, but when all seems well, things other than God have my attention? Oh yes, that says something about my spiritual condition!
I want to say that my heart and soul cry out for God, but if that were true, what would my daily life look like; would it look the same as it does now? Hmmm…
The things of this life are all around us, the pleasures of this life call out. The problems of this life are all around us as well; they aren’t easy to miss: The things of this life are ubiquitous in fact, and if my attention is to be on the things that are above, maybe I’m going to need to decide consciously to put it there, instead of on the things of this life. Yes, maybe I’m going to need to put my attention on God purposefully, deliberately as a choice I make. After all, don’t our hearts and souls yearn for the things were pay attention to?
Life Project Blog 
David was such a complicated man. He was a soldier and always in a battle, but he could write like this. He let son Amnon go unpunished after raping his daughter, but he could write like this. He exiled son Absalom, refusing to speak to him for seven years, but could write like this. He committed adultery with a woman whose husband he killed, but he could write like this. He was not a good father, but he could write like this. Such a complicated man, and God loved him anyway.
Yes, it’s amazing… and it tells us there is hope for us all.
Powerful point! I need to do some re-examining of my yearnings and desires.
Don’t we all? 🙂
What a fabulous post! Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness if only, as you have said, we did just that!
When I was young my bubba (grandmother) would say she was ready to move on. Her husband had died, as had two children and one grandchild. I never understood that, I thought she was crazy, now that I am in my seventh decade on this planet I understand her, I too am ready. That does not mean I seek it, but when it comes I will be ready. No lavish means to prolong the inevitable, just time to travel down the tunnel of light.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Consciously, deliberately, purposely. Key words. Thanks for a clear reminder!
Thanks Andy!
Very convicting! May I reblog this?
Sure, and thanks!
Deliberately put my heart on things above. Amen.
Thats true i like your perspective. Changing our yearnings is the key to eliminating those addictions from our life we desperately want to get rid of if our addiction is Jesus. It’s not wrong to love a human as long as they don’t become our god. If loving them causes us to appreciate God more then giving them our focus is a good thing but time with Him must be priority #1
Yes, I think that’s right. Thanks!
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