Day 2 - Psalm 4

“God, do you hear me? Do you care?” This was David’s cry. If we live long enough, we will have painful dreams and desires that go unmet. Things will go wrong that God will not fix. Where is God in those times? In my opinion, he’s close during those times, but he chooses to remain silent. He’s stretching us to reach out in faith to him and not the idols of our hearts. He’s saying, “How much do you desire me, not just to fix your problems, but truly desire a relationship with me?” When is the last time I have cried out to God to know his presence and his love for me without asking him for something? David says that we lust after lies and illusions when we ought to be passionately pursuing a relationship with the God who created us; who chose us to be his beloved ones.

I read something recently that made me stop and think. It was written by Larry Crabb, and he always makes me think more deeply that I desire. He said that he thought the OT people who were chosen by God would be jealous of the relationship that we can have with God. Think about it, God promised that a day would come when there would be no need to physically go to the temple to be in his presence. There would be no need for sacrifices and the law would be useless. His presence would dwell within. To them, that was a radical idea that required considerable faith. The desire for a relationship with God would live within us! His spirit would live within us! I don’t know about you, but I find myself asking God to show me his presence by giving me blessings; make my life comfortable and then I’ll know he's there. He’s there all along, wanting us to stretch out and seek a relationship with him; not what he can do for us.

Try it today. Reach out to God in prayer, and don’t ask for anything. Just try to know him better. That may mean that instead of crying out for him, we remain silent and listen.

- submitted by Sandy Welfare