Desperate...Always

 “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and glory…I will bless You while live; I will lift up my hands in Your name… When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” Psalm 1-2, 4, 6 


Also read: Mark 1:29-39


“In order to to live with an ongoing unending awareness of God’s presence, you must develop the habit of having a daily desperation for God.” This is a quote from a devotional I read last week. It goes hand in hand with an incredible sermon our pastor gave last Sunday. He spoke on a brief ten verses in the Gospel of Mark where Mark tells of a typical day in the life of Jesus. The day begins in worship, moves on to serving others, and ends in prayer. I think this model of how to live a God-pleasing life, by mimicking God’s only Son and how He lived His time here on earth. 


How do we do this? Niki we have jobs, homes to care for, family / friends counting on us…we can’t drop everything and go out to serve the world. Maybe not - but did you ever think that by helping your coworkers, by caring for your family / friends, you already are serving others? Sometimes we have the opportunity to volunteer our time to charity, and that is absolutely fantastic. However, we can also serve others simply by putting them first in our daily lives. 


What about worship? We can’t go to church every day, there’s not time, or my church only offers service on Sundays. Yes, but worship is not strictly from the pews on Sunday morning! We can worship God in many ways, every day! The definition of worship is not, “attend church, and while there pray and sing to God.” The definition is, ‘reverent love and devotion accorded to God,’ and ‘the ceremonies, prayers, or other forms by which this love is expressed.’ We can reverently express our love for our amazing God in many ways! Daily devotions, Christian music, prayers…anything that shows our love for Him, and brings Him glory can be worship! 


I know I have talked in previous Thoughts about how prayer doesn’t have to always be formal, it can be an ongoing conversation with our Father. I still hold to that truth. However, I am learning as I grow in Him that we should make time daily to offer Him reverent, well thought out, quiet prayer time. Prayers should include praise, thanksgiving, repentance, and requests. It’s another important step in constantly striving to draw closer to Him. 


If we start to incorporate all of these into our daily lives, we will undoubtedly develop that daily desperation for God. We will thirst for His Word, we will crave His presence, we will long for His glory to shine in us and through us. We don’t all have to shout from the mountain tops, there is a need for the quieter, more subtle lights in the darkness of this world. We can pour out His love on others in seemingly small ways and I think God will shows how we can still make a big difference. 


Will you join me in prayer? 


Heavenly Father, 

We worship and praise Your holy name for the unending love and grace You pour out on us. Thank You for never leaving us, even when we fail to look for You. Please forgive us for not seeking You all day, every day, in everything we do. Strengthen us today, and always, to be able to shine for You in this dark world. Draw us to You so we can spend every day desperately seeking to worship, serve, and pray to You, for You, and with Your will being done. We ask this all in Jesus’ holy name. Amen. 


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