Dear Diary, 12 May 2012
I'm always thirsty...
“O God, You are my God,
earnestly I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You,
my body longs for You,
In a dry and weary land
Where there is no water.”
Psalm 63:1
Whoever wrote this completely
recognized his deprivation. He knew he was empty and that he needed to find
something to fill the cracks in his heart. Jesus told the woman at the well,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the
water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in
him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Not physical water, or
course, but a metaphor. A metaphor for the fulfillment that Christ brings into
a person’s life.
Seriously, the feeling is
indescribable. It’s this joy that makes you happy no matter what you’re doing,
where you are, or who you’re with. It makes you smile at people; it bolsters
your courage to talk to others. And it gives you an all around sense of peace.
Without it, I’m lost in the desert.
Not fun.
“I have seen You in the sanctuary
And beheld Your power and Your glory.
Because Your love is better than life,
My lips will glorify You.
I will praise You as long as I live,
And in Your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
With singing lips my mouth will praise You.”
Psalm 63:2-5
“Seen You in the sanctuary” I take
to mean I have seen the affect You have. The next line confirms this
translation with “[I] beheld Your power…”
It’s strange to think of praising God as long
as you live. That seems like a long time with a lot of work. But thinking back
to the first verse, praising God and giving Him the glory only requires letting
Him live though me. Let him hydrate me with His goodness, and it will shine
forth like light, showing other people His “power and glory”.
Power and glory sound like loud, triumphant nouns to be used in reference to warriors or kings. Sometimes
though, the most meaningful things come in small doses. The extent of power and
glory cannot exceed the emotion vested within them. In other words, a person is
only as powerful as long as other people obey. Glory is only meaningful when
there are other people to marvel. God’s power and glory are so extensive they
reach out to every single heart and touch it in a memorable way. It may be
through hearing a “still small voice” ( which isn’t really a physical voice
because that would be creepy, more it’s a feeling) or witnessing the affects of
that glory. I think the latter was what David was talking about in the verse.
Sometimes we just need to hear
praises to God.
They don’t have to be ours, but
just hearing them gives a sense of peace and comfort.
I liked this from “Jesus Lives” by
Sarah Young.
Come to Me with
the difficulties that are weighing you down. Even though there is no relief in
sight, your troubles are actually light
and momentary – from an eternal perspective. Your problems feel so heavy
because you have given them too much power. Each time you focus on them and
forget about Me, you empower them a bit more. Even small objects placed very
close to your eyes can obscure most of the vista before you. I want you to put
your troubles down long enough to view the cast expanse of Life that is sprad
out before you – all the way into eternity!
The best way to
lay your problems down is: Bring them to Me. Unburden yourself by pouring out your heart to Me, for I am your Refuge. As you release your
woes to Me (even temporarily), your vision improves and you can see Me more
clearly. Linger with Me while My Light shines powerfully into your heart. This
Light illuminates the knowledge of the
Majesty and Glory revealed in My Face. This
is the eternal Glory that outweighs all your troubles.”
Psalm 62:8
Sources:
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