Verse of the week - Psalm 42:1
In the midst of a very busy, activity-filled week, I found comfort and challenge in the words of Psalm 42:1, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."
Regardless of what transpires around me I want my primary passion, my insatiable hunger to crave God. Nothing else should attract my attention the way He does. No other book should consume my thoughts the way His Word does.
I want my longing to follow after Him continually, but I know in truth, I often stray. Many things draw me away from Him and His thoughts and intents for my life. I need Him to draw me nearer, ever nearer to Himself.
This prayer from the close of the first chapter of A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God really resonated with me:
O God,
I have tasted Thy goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee,
that so I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away."
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee
up from this misty lowland where I have wondered so long.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
"As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God."
so pants my soul for you, O God."
~Psalm 42:1~
Comments
Thank you for your prayers. Your words are VERY precious to me... an encouragement directly from the Lord through you to me tonight. :)
I am regularly reminded of the hymn... 'Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love, Take my heart, O Lord and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.' I might be mixing verses... it's late ;) but the idea is that. He has been speaking to me, wooing me, and I've been less than attentive the last couple of days. I'm ready now though, I cannot resist Him any longer.
I cannot tell you the encouragement your note was to me today. My post was because that mini-devo was exceedingly convicting to me personally! I've been kinda full of myself the last couple days with Micah gone, I've kind of gone into my shell so to speak... survival mode, instead of really taking pleasure in the grace given moment by moment.
I'm ashamed of that, but fully aware of His ready forgiveness and grace abundant.
Dei Gratia,
Amy