July - 29
LONGING FOR GOD
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you . . . . Psalm 63:1
“Earnestly I seek you.” That’s the heart of Psalm 63. Though we might not use such poetic language, we can understand what the psalmist is saying here.
It strikes me that in these words the psalmist is exposing his heart. He is not asking God for health for himself or his kids; he’s not asking for extra income or a happier marriage. The psalmist is focusing on his relationship with God. He sees the power of God in worship, reflects on God in the dark of the night, and sings about God’s protection.
I wonder whether we show this kind of desire for God as clearly as the psalmist does. It probably depends on our level of faith and where we are in our spiritual journey.
I know I am less “thirsty” for God when I am physically well, when my family is doing fine, and when things in the church are moving along. Yet I don’t want my “thirst” to depend on my circumstances.
If desiring God is a good thing, then I have to nurture that desire. My heart really needs to understand the “dry and weary land” in which I live. When I know the arid turf that I call home, I am prepared to pursue the things of real value. As my soul thirsts for God, I will then also drink at the right place.
That is something I pray for.
PRAYER
“O God, you are my God.” I seek you, and so I pray. Guide me to cultivate a thirst for you, and to long for you in this dry and weary world. Fill me with your water of life. Amen.
「我要切切地寻求你」。这句话是诗篇63篇的中心信息，虽然我们不一定会常用这些充满诗意的字句，但我们也明白诗人想表达甚么。
在字行间，我感到诗人正在敞开他的心灵，他没有求神赐健康给他和他的儿女，他也没有祈求加薪或更美满的婚姻，诗人把注意力集中在他与神的关系上，他在敬拜中看到神的大能，他在黑夜里思想神，又歌颂神的眷顾。
我怀疑我们有没有像这位诗人那样，如此直接地表达对神的渴慕，这大概和我们信心的程度及我们灵性状况有关吧。
我知道当我身体健康、一家安好，和教会事工进展顺利时，我对神便没有那么「渴慕」，然而，我却不希望我「渴慕」神的心建立在我的环境好坏上。
倘若渴慕神是一件美事，我便应该培养这种渴慕的心，我的心真的需要体会我「干旱疲乏」的境况。当我看清楚这片我称为家的干旱地土时，我自然便乐于追寻有真正价值的事物了，我的心若渴慕神，我也会在能真正满足我的地方取水喝。
这是我的祈求。
祷告
「神啊，祢是我的神！」我寻求祢，所以我祷告。求引领我，培养渴慕的心，在这干旱疲乏的世界中切慕，又求祢以生命的水充满我。阿们。