Desiring God

Have you ever watched people rush to eat a free meal?  It can often sound like a herd of antelope crossing the African Savannah.  This is how strong the urge can be to take advantage of food at a bargain basement price.  I witnessed just such a thing recently while my family and I were on vacation at the Gulf Coast.  

We stayed at a nice resort hotel right on the beach in the panhandle of Florida.  One thing that this particular spot is known for, is a free breakfast to anyone who vacations there.  Around eight-o-clock in the morning, you had better already have a spot in line for food.  If not, then you will need to get out of the way.  All of a sudden, the antelope rush in ... hordes of people clamoring to get in line and grab a plate.  Chivalry must truly be dead, because it wasn't always women and children first!

Even if you are lucky enough to get a plate and silverware before the supply runs short, it's still no guarantee that you will find a table to sit down and eat.  Huddled masses of people line the walls and entry way - first the tables fill up, and then the booths.  Pretty soon, it's standing room only.  

I couldn't help but think to myself, what if people rushed to God in the same way?  What if churches were so full that you couldn't find a place to sit?  What if people had that same look of hunger and desperation for the sermon or the music, as they do for a free breakfast?  What if ...

These questions loomed as I watched the food lines ebb and flow throughout the morning.  One person had pancakes stacked so high on their plate that it looked like a Dr. Seuss illustration from the book 'Green Eggs and Ham.'

Listen to how Psalm 73:25 describes how the human heart should focus on God.  It says, "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you."

Honestly, it's true.  There is nothing here on earth that we can take with us when we pass from this world to the next.  Who else but God should we be seeking?  Why would we want to be anywhere else but His church on Sunday morning?

And again, we read Psalm 119:81 which says, "My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word."

As I watch all the people rushing to the head of the breakfast buffet at the resort, I wonder to myself: what do these folks long for spiritually?  Is it God?  And if so, do they run and seek Him in the same desperate manner?

Nominal Christianity is a big problem today.  If we are to trust those little surveys asking us to check this box or that one, then a good percentage of people are checking the "none" box.  This means that they do not consider themselves Christian, or any other faith.  But rather, their spiritual tradition is simply ... 'none.'  No faith whatsoever.

This of course, doesn't bode well for the twenty-first century church.  Sunday morning is often in stiff competition with sports practices, shopping trips, or the like.  And for many tired people, I suspect it is the only time during the week they get to rest.  

Here is my question for you today.  Do you desire God?  Do you tuck away His word in your heart?  Are you desperate for Him?

Years ago, we went on one of those "free" vacations, where you have to listen to a sales pitch for a time share condominium.  It was on the East Coast that time, and just a short distance from Virginia Beach.  When it came time for my wife and I to visit the sales office, we quickly discovered that our two hour presentation turned into half a day.  A very eager young man was trying to make his commission I think, by selling us a time share package we didn't need.  

At one point, the conversation took an interesting turn as the salesman began to discuss his grandmother's faith.  He said her favorite Scripture was Psalm 91.  My wife and I looked at each other in amazement, as we both realized that only months earlier - she had gone to get a tattoo of this same Biblical passage.  The stars had lined up for us that day I guess, as the Scripture that the young man talked about also graced my wife's left shoulder.

To be exact, it was Psalm 91:1-4.  It says this, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'  Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

We are to trust in God.  He is our refuge and our shield.  And if we need to run anywhere, then run to Him.  

My advice for this generation is to stay desperate for God.  Cultivate that strained look in your eye not for a quick visit to a resort breakfast buffet, but rather to a God that offers the type of water where you will never go thirsty again.  To drink from the spiritual cup of Jesus, and thus stay satiated.  Trust me, this is much more than the world can offer us anyway.

Desire God's word and His presence in your life.  Attend services at His house on Sunday morning; fight the urge to do something else.  How wonderful it would be for God's house here on earth to be standing room only.




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