longing, monday

Monday, September 22

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

         

Opening Prayer: O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.  I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace.  I am ashamed of my lack of desire.  O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. (The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer)

Scripture Reading for the Day: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Reading for Reflection:

 

     Indeed, if we will listen, a Sacred Romance calls to us through our heart every moment of our lives.  It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love.  We've heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of our first child, been drawn to it while watching the shimmer of a sunset on the ocean.  The Romance is even present in times of great personal suffering:  the illness of a child, the loss of a marriage, the death of a friend.  Something calls to us through experiences like these and rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure.

     This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality.  It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive.  However we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life.  And the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God. (The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

                                   

Closing Prayer: O God, sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration.  Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it!  We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies!  Your Spirit whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead.  You put a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

     That’s why we live with such good cheer.  You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet!  Cramped conditions here don’t get us down.  They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead.  It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.  Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us?  When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming. (The Message)