It came when reading Psalm 42.
We read the following in verses 1-2,
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God
What's crazy about these verses isn't just what they read, it's how many believers I know that have used these to describe the positive heartbeat that they have towards God. Maybe there's an element of that that we can use, but, I mean, have you ever panted for thirst? The type that your throat is on fire because you need water so bad? That does not exactly sound enjoyable, right?
So, here's a verse that immediately follow them- verse 3 says,
My tears have been my food day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
'Where is your God'?
...mmmm... not exactly the super fiery love that we hear exclaimed from the platform or stage so much, right?
Well, what if you were told that this not only is okay and tolerable, but normal at times and maybe even expected?
Not for every day of our lives for sure, but for perhaps even seasons?
Moses got weary.
David got weary.
Paul prayed for a thorn to be removed.
Jesus prayed that the cup be passed from Him.
So why do we put such a heavy weight on ourselves for always burning bright, hot, passionate and spilling over with love, for every moment of the day until we die?
Even just that word passion- let's talk about that briefly.
The Oxford dictionary defines passion as, "strong and barely controllable emotion:".
That doesn't exactly sound like the love Jesus often talked about, am I right?
Passion can be amazing- but it can also be for the negative and opposite of what we're trying to communicate. Passion can be selfish. Passion is seemingly for the moment- a flicker.
But love?
Love is patient kind. It doesn't envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It doesn't insist on its own way... it bears all things... hopes all things... endures all things. (See 1 Corinthians 13 for more descriptions about love.) Love sounds like commitment. Love sounds like it can get hard.
So, now that we know and remember that, let's go back to Psalm 42.
Two separate times the Psalmist writes this,
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
my salvation and my God.
TWO TIMES he repeats that.
T W O.
(And he'll mention it again in the following chapter of Psalms!)
To steal a thought/quote from John Piper (I read his book, When I Don't Desire God, How to Fight for Joy and this "thought" comes from that book.)
No one listens to yourself more than yourself.
No one talks to yourself more than yourself.
So what if you stopped listening for a moment- but only so that you could TALK TO YOURSELF.
I'm reminded of a podcast I heard (Gravity Leadership) in which the guest was talking about "doubting faithfully"... like, how often we as believers find it to be a strength to never doubt or question. But then, if you look at the story of Job... God actually wanted to obliterate Job's friends because all they ever did was talk & quite frankly, listen to themselves talk and give what they thought to be the right answers. To the point that God said to Job- "Hey, go make a sacrifice on their behalf lest I obliterate them." (That's the Shauna Version, but, feel free to go look it up: Job 42 verses 7-9.)
So what did Job do?
He doubted faithfully.
To quote the man from the podcast (sorry, I don't remember your name, man!), "Doubting faithfully is more important than having all the right answers."
So, to sum it up... as so many of you are at home (or work, like me)... and perhaps wondering how God will do x,y,z or how God could be still on His throne with this pandemic... or perhaps you're just so consumed with your own thoughts on loneliness, marital and/or parental issues, sickness, etc....
Take a deep breath.
Read the Psalms.
Go to the Lord with palms up in saying, "I don't get this.... help me to see You."
Talk to yourself and encourage yourself in THE LORD
and watch. Him. Do. It.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of Your waterfalls;
all Your breakers and Your waves have gone over me.
[But] by day the Lord commands His steadfast love, and at night His song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:7-8
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