The following is the last in a series of short devotionals based on my book, “God’s Love For You.”
Consider for a moment what (or who) you give your time, money, or your energy to the most. Where does God fit on that list?
“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:2)
It has been said that we each have a “God shaped” hole inside – a place deep in the soul that only God can fill. God designed us this way because he wanted us to enjoy a unique and fulfilling relationship with him. We were designed for wholeness and wired for security and significance, being made to live in a perfect and loving relationship with God meeting all our needs, so that we could move from that position of wholeness towards others and love them. However, when sin entered the world, the relationship became damaged and we started looking elsewhere for our needs to be met. In Jeremiah 2:13 God speaks of how his people have committed two sins, having forsaken him, the “spring of living water” and dug their own cisterns, “broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” We have become thirsty for God as the psalmist described, and our souls now ache for relationship with him.
If our relationship with God is not intact, we become restless and start looking elsewhere to people or possessions to fill the void. Like a ship off course, we may spend much time and energy sailing in the wrong direction, pursuing anything that will help us to feel fulfilled, whole or loved, yet none of the things we pursue can fill our thirsty souls for very long.
Even those of us who know this truth and have experienced the love and closeness of relationship with God, can still drift and pursue other sources of love, security and worth outside of him if we are not diligent! Perhaps recognition at work tugs at a part of our soul looking for acceptance and worth, perhaps a project promises a sense of significance, or a relationship draws us with the promise of security and a love like no other. Or maybe life in general with all its ups and downs simply distracts us from our true source of love and our heart’s true home!
Consider for a moment what (or who) you give your time, money, or your energy to the most. Where does God fit on that list? Are you restless inside? Do you feel unfulfilled? It is good to be reminded that we must not become so preoccupied with pursuing created ‘things’ that we forget the Creator himself.
Living in a spiritually dry and often materialistic world, we need to put God first with our time, our thoughts, our actions and all that we do, for in doing so we will develop a closeness with him that will satisfy our soul above all else. It is only when we are secure in the knowledge of God’s love that we can live effectively and love others as he intended.
Nobody knows us better than the Creator who adores us and wants the absolute best for us! He alone knows how to satisfy and fulfil us. He longs for life to go well with us and for us to surrender our hearts back to him, for he is the best fit for our God shaped heart!
Is something missing in your life? Perhaps your heart is restless. He is waiting with open arms to begin or renew your journey with him. Why not start afresh with him today. He has given his heart to you. Will you entrust yours to him?
I will leave you with the words of two great theologians:
“At the cross God wrapped his heart in flesh and blood and let it be nailed to the cross for our redemption” ~ E. Stanley Jones
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” ~ Saint Augustine
If you, or someone you know would like to give your heart to God and know him better, please use or share the following prayer if you would like to:
Father, thank you for your love for me. Thank you for watching over my life even though I have sometimes been unaware of you. Thank you that you have an eternal plan and purpose for me, and that there is hope for my future. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given to me and for seeing the best in me, even when I have not. I ask your forgiveness for the times when my heart has not been pure and for not remembering that you are my soul’s true home. I long to know you better and I choose to give my life to you today to live under your authority and protection as I accept Christ’s sacrifice for my sins. May I live and work for your glory today and always. Amen
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