“O God, You are my God;
I earnestly search for You.
My soul thirsts for You;
my whole body longs for You
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen You in Your sanctuary
and gazed upon Your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise You!
I will praise You as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to You in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise You with songs of joy.” ~ Psalm 63:1-5, NLT
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
I desire You more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
He is mine forever.” ~ Psalm 73:25-26, NLT
“I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that He may come
and shower righteousness upon you.’” ~ Hosea 10:12, NLT
My heart longs to know You more, Lord
Father, I consider the works of Your hands and I am struck with wonder and awe. May I never take Your magnificence for granted or try to limit You through my own understanding. You are great, O Lord! There is no one else like You in heaven or on earth. My heart longs for You, it yearns to know Your mysteries and desires to rest in Your love without hesitation.
I’m astounded that, not only do You know my name, but You call me daughter. I don’t deserve Your steadfast love, and yet You lavish it upon me. I want to know You more, Lord. I want to respond to Your delicate whispers without hesitation … I want to honor You with my life.
However, the conflict between flesh and spirit is real. The things I want to do, I don’t do, and the things I don’t want to do … I do! It’s frustrating because my heart longs for You, but my flesh often gets in the way. I give in to distractions. I allow — sometimes welcome — interruptions with not so much as a flinch. Yet, all the while, my spirit wants to seek hard after You.
Please forgive me, Lord. Empower me to overcome the temptation of complacency. I know the just shall live by faith. I know we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. And I realize that these two expectations from You require seeking You first in all things. They require spending uninterrupted, focused time with You, studying Your Word, listening, talking … being still before You. And they require dying to self and seeking Your face continually.
Call to me, Lord, and I will come
The greatest commandment of all is to love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. When I set this as my goal, things change. I find myself in the center of Your will. I recognize tangible evidence of Your presence easily, and discerning Your voice above the noise becomes a delight. Truly, I love You. And truly, I want You to be my first love.
Call to me, and I will come. My heart longs for You, Lord, for You are the strength and the joy of my life.
In Jesus’s Name,
Amen ~ let it be so
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Please don’t carry your burdens alone. I would be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@nanjones.com
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
