Day 10, Year 1 People Who Long for God

“My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2 NKJV)

In the above “long” is kasaph in Hebrew, which means “to deeply long for.” “Faint” in Hebrew is kalah, which indicates “be complete, be at an end, to waste away,” etc. Today’s verse shows the psalmist’s intense longing for God. “Court” is chatser in Hebrew, and is often translated to “village.” God’s court is where the righteous dwell (Psalm 84:10) and the place where sacrifices are made to God (Psalm 96:8). An intense longing for God could lessen our desires for other people or things. As today’s verse illustrates, a profound longing for God, to the uttermost, could liberate us from various partialities, lusts, and other misguided or crooked cravings.

Those who intensely long for God’s court are most likely longing to join the community of His righteous people and wishing to break away from the wicked and their schemings. Perhaps the psalmist felt separated and distant from God, or even lonely amid many wicked people. His body and soul therefore cried out to God. The Hebrew word for “cry out” is ranan, which also means “to cry aloud, shout for joy, be rejoicing.” If this word is interpreted as “rejoicing,” it suggests that the psalmist excitedly shouts thanks to God for His goodness and His wonderful works!

Yesterday’s verse speaks of David thirsting for God in a dry and thirsty land. Today, it is a person who is distant from God, or even lonely, crying out aloud to Him. The former speaks of a challenging physical environment, while the latter speaks of a person crying out loudly to God due to a heartfelt need. The two verses seem to sum up that people need to yearn for God and pray to Him, regardless of material, heartfelt, or spiritual needs. Indeed, this devotional series invites you to cultivate a longing heart for God despite difficulties or distractions. If believers do not seek God when facing problems, his or her faith would become expendable.

The author points out that his heart and body are crying out to God. In this day and age, simply spending a few minutes each day to read a devotional is not enough. You also need to take some time each day to pray to God, preferably sound-aloud. Since praying out loud could help you focus and remember both the important and trivial things you want to bring before God. When God responds to your prayers, you can rejoice and praise Him with an ever-thankful heart.

Reflection questions: 

1) Do you feel like you have a desperate thirst for God? If not, how do you want to lean on God to deal with the obstacles hindering your longing for Him?

2) Do you get used to praying out loud? If not, try to find a quiet place and practice praying out loud alone day by day.