How Hungry are You for God?

July 25, 2014

If you study the things of God and observe His people, both in the lives of those around you and in the pages of Scripture, you realize quickly there is a dividing line. There are some men and women to whom God is peripheral. Others to whom He is central and all-consuming. The former experience the Divine Presence occasionally; the latter, consistently and deeply.

Those who find Him are the ones who move us as we read their stories and hear their prayers. This is why David, the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, left a legacy that blesses millions. To read His Psalms is to hear the heart of a man who is consumed with God. Always hungry. Always turning in God's direction. Always crying out. And always finding and experiencing the depths of God. This is why we read Mueller and Spurgeon; Amy Carmichael and Corrie Ten Boom; Brainerd and Jonathan Edwards; Tozer…and more of Tozer! Their familiarity with God ignites something deep in our souls.

Take one simple Psalm of David. Psalm 143 is only 12 verses, but as you dissect it, you discover all of the things that David is DOING that indicate His longing for God. And most of all, all the things He is ASKING God to do.

HIS HONEST CONFESSION

David evaluates his situation well and lays it out before God. He doesn't try to ""pull himself up by his own bootstraps"" or manage the problems of his life by himself. He doesn't stuff them or ignore them. He honestly admits his situation and spreads it out before the only One who can help.

  • The enemy has persecuted my soul (vs. 3)
  • He has crushed my life to the ground (vs. 3)
  • He has made me dwell in dark places (vs. 3)
  • My spirit is overwhelmed (faints) within me (vs. 4)
  • My hear is appalled (desolate) within me (vs. 4)

What will he do with his crushing burdens and sagging spirit? What will you do?

HIS HUMBLE RESPONSE

David is not passive. He is looking, remembering, stretching out, trusting, turning to God. His is not a thought of ""nobody can help me"" or, ""there's nothing I can do."" He pursues God with vigorous passion because He believes God is the answer. Notice the verbs of his passion.

  • I remember the days of old (vs. 5)
  • I meditate on all Your doings (vs. 5)
  • I muse on the work of Your hands (vs. 5)
  • I stretch out my hands to You (vs. 6)
  • My soul longs for you (vs. 5)
  • I trust in You (vs. 8)
  • To You I lift up my soul (vs. 8)
  • I take refuge in You (vs. 9)

And he takes the posture of a faith-filled servant.

  • You are my God (vs. 10)
  • I am Your servant (vs. 12)

He does not wallow in self-pity, nor rise in self-works. He turns and pursues the great Shepherd and Guardian of his soul with intensity.

HIS HEARTFELT CRY

And with the confidence of a child who believes in His faithful Father, He cries out. He assumes God will answer because of the perfection of His character. He appeals to God's faithfulness, righteousness, and lovingkindness. He pleads for a reviving of His soul so that God’s name will be more greatly honored. His cry is specific and intense…almost demanding.

  • Hear my prayer (vs. 1)
  • Give ear to my supplications (vs. 1)
  • Answer me in Your faithfulness…righteousness (vs. 1)
  • Do not enter into judgment with Your servant (vs. 2)
  • Answer me quickly, O Lord (vs. 7)
  • Do not hide Your face from me (vs. 7)
  • Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning (vs. 8)
  • Teach me the way in which I should walk- (vs. 8)
  • Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies (vs. 9)
  • Teach me to do Your will (vs. 10)
  • Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground (vs. 10)
  • For the sake of Your name....revive me (vs. 11)
  • In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble (vs. 11)
  • In Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies (vs. 12)
  • Destroy all those who afflict my soul (vs. 12)

The most beautiful thing? David was heard. God did answer—over and over again. And He experienced depths of God that most of us never know.

I once heard Adrian Rogers say, “How much of God do you have? I know this…you have as much as you want.” God is not capricious. He waits to do the same for any hungry heart. Why would you not, right now, pursue Him with honesty, humility, and heartfelt intercession?

The place on Jesus’ breast is still vacant, and open to any who are willing to pay the price of deepening intimacy. We are now, and we will be in the future, only as intimate with God as we really choose to be.”[1]

 

 

[1] J. Oswald Sanders, “Enjoying Intimacy with God,” (Moody Press, Chicago, 1980), pg. 20





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