PSALM 119:81-83 – My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
THEME OF THE DAY. INTENSIFYING OUR DESIRE FOR GOD’S WORD. Isn’t it true that when something we love has been removed from our lives we truly realize how much we really did love it, may have taken it for granted and desperately want it back? And how about when someone we love and have a deep relationship with is temporarily out of our lives, do we realize we may have taken him or her for granted and our heart aches for reunion? I remember the latter vividly during those many times of family separation while serving in the United States Navy. The pain of separation was intense and the longing to restore what was temporarily absent equally intense. Think about that in the spiritual realm.
A great challenge in the Christian life, and especially for us living in America is to not take for granted what we have – free access to churches and God’s Word. On a side note, let’s strive not to take either for granted any longer. We are not sure how long such freedoms will continue. But I think all of us would readily confess we have been guilty of taking church and the Bible for granted at times in our lives. That is part of remaining sin within us. We are tempted to lose a heart of appreciation and sense of privilege for what God has given us with Bible-believing churches and more importantly, the Bible itself. And God in His love and commitment to teach us not to take His Word for granted will cause us to experience what the Psalmist is experiencing in today’s scripture. Now we must qualify that statement by stating the Psalm gives no indication he has taken God’s Word for granted, but what he is experiencing will often be God’s work in our lives if we do take His Word for granted.
What are we witnessing in the heart of the Psalmist? A deep longing for God. A deep longing for the salvation of his God. A deep longing for the promises of his God. There is even the hint of spiritual impatience for God’s comforting presence. Think with me. To know God, to experience His salvation, and to be comforted from His promises are all found in His Word. So we would not be stretching the Psalmist’s longings to say “He is longing for God’s Word to feed His soul and comfort His heart.” And when a longing is present that means what is longed for is not.
Friends, has God shown us recently that we have neglected or taken His Word for granted? If we are sensing the absence of God’s Presence in our lives; the lack of assurance of His salvation; and the seemingly powerless nature of His promises, it might be His work in us revealing we have neglected or taken His Word for granted. And now, we are longing for it with intense pain. We see our folly and are crying out like the Psalmist, “My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” That is a good sign of spiritual life. The intense spiritual pain of loss is driving us to God’s Word. Be encouraged. This longing for what we took for granted – God’s Word – will be satisfied. God has given us the pain of loss to build such longing for it that He will satisfy. Rest in that promise and do what the Psalmist does – hope in God’s Word.
PRAYER: “Father, I thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit’s work in me to deepen my longing for it.”
QUOTE: “God will often delay answering prayer, opening our eyes to His truth, to deepen our desire for Him.”