Psalm 63: 1
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah
O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; my soul thirsts for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
While David was running from King Saul, he found himself in some pretty rugged terrain. So he wrote about it.
And he wrote how this "dry and weary land where there is no water" was like how he felt in his relationship with God. As his body was thirsting for water, his soul was thirsting for intimacy with his Lord.
Isn't that the "happiness" that we are all looking for in this World? Our souls also thirst for the cool water of useful knowledge to satisfy our intellectual and emotional longings, and the relationships that meet our deep soul needs.
God designed Creation to run on the energy of His Love. That is the order we see in the Universe, and it is the way we are to order our World on this Earth.
He gave us the rules and regulations that express His Love for how to order our lives and raise our crops and administer the ecology of this Earth to produce all the wealth He put into it, for our benefit and His glory.
When we cooperate with how He made it all to work (obey His Law, Matthew 22:37-39), then we will experience the prosperity He wants for us all. But when we rebel against His authority and think we know better (disobey His Law), that's when things fall apart.
That's when people are motivated by hatred instead of love, and we see the violence that destroys and maligns the innocent and the righteous. This is the program of our enemy, who only wants to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
So whatever is promoted in our Societies, we can recognize if it is of God or of our enemy by its outcome.
If it results in discriminating against some other people group, or even in violence against innocents or godly people; or does not bring an increase of wealth, but only debt; then that would be of our enemy, deceiving us. It's not loving our neighbor.
If it produces bountiful, healthy crops and other riches, and good, loving relationships, then it's of God, and we are to give Him the credit.
But even if it produces wealth, but we experience with it discord in our relationships, or dis-ease in our bodies, then we're not giving God the glory, or we're doing something that is not in alignment with God's ways.
Jesus told us that even if we gain the whole world, but miss out on the forever eternity He wants for us, then we haven't profited at all (Mark 8:36-37). Temporary results may not pan out in the long run, so we need to look at the big picture in our evaluations, to see if some immediate sacrifice may need to be made, or to have patience to wait out the final results of our enterprises. Instant gratification can result in a long-term loss.
And we must always love God enough to always put Him first, pray only to Him, and seek after that intimate relationship with Him that He desires with us. To believe everything He has told us, and to trust Him to always do what He's said He would do. If it's a conditional promise--if you do, then I will--we need to make sure we're fulfilling our part of the bargain, not taking any shortcuts.
I don't want my pride to convince me that I can "have it all" without humbling myself before God. After all, He is God, I am not. And in my human flesh I can do nothing that can please Him, even the best, most compassionate things are polluted by the sin-nature I inherited from Adam (Isaiah 64:6). Only in the power of His Spirit living in my spirit can I do anything that He will accept and reward.
This World is that "dry and thirsty land" that has no means to satisfy my deepest thirsts. Only through the Blood of Christ shed on Calvary as the Lamb of God, to wash my scarlet, crimson sin away and make me white as snow (Isaiah 1:18) can put me in the place of God's blessings, that bring no regret with them. That's the place of oneness with our Creator, that satisfies our every need and longing. That cannot happen if there is any barrier between us, any (missing the mark) sin. Only that perfect Blood can take away the sin that plagues us all. That's why Jesus came. That's how much He loves each one of us.
O my Father, my dear, dear Father, Thank You so much for all Your Grace and Mercy to draw me to Yourself, teach me what I need to know, and show me the extent of Your great Love for me. Thank You for putting into my life Your Life, and thank You for showering upon me all the goodness and joy that You delight in lavishing on me.
And I will enjoy praising You and worshiping You and sharing with everyone I can how wonderful You are and how much You love me, forever!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
