Fainting Cry

Psalm 84:2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

We want the Lord to hear our cries when we are in distress and in trouble, and he most certainly does.  And he comes and rescues us.

But here in this verse is a different kind of cry.  It’s a yearning, a fainting, a crying out for the living God.

When is the last time you cried out just to be in his presence, to experience his holiness, to know him in all of his glory…aside from what he can give you?

I know that I don’t cry this kind of prayer enough.

And I know I’ve never quite fainted because I yearned for him so much.

What a concept…to yearn for the Lord with our heart and our flesh…so much that we physically wane unless we touch Him.

A Righteous Cry

Psalm 34 says

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;

^… The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

Who are the righteous?  Those who believe and surrender to Him.  And twice in this verse we read that the Lord hears their cries.

In fact, he’s attentive and he delivers them from their troubles.

Have you ever noticed that a mom knows the cries of her child?  She knows if it’s a cry that warrants her attention, or if it’s a cry that’s just trying to get attention.  There’s a difference, isn’t there?  And a mom knows her child and what he needs, and if the cry is legit…the child is swooped up into Mom’s arms. If the cry is to manipulate, the child is left to cry it out and get over it.

I think God knows our cries; in fact, I’m sure he does.  He knows when our cry is one of distress, if it’s a cry for something that can wait, or if it’s a toddler-like cry just because we’re tired and whiny.

He’s a good Father and attends to the cry of the righteous…always.  Even when we feel he’s not listening… 

Slavery Cry

Feb 6

In Exodus it says, The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

The Israelites were under great duress because of slavery and bondage, and they began to cry out to God.  And this verse says “because of their slavery” their cry went up to God. 

Did you know that God cares for those who are in slavery, those who are being abused, and those who are crying out to Him in their pain?

We cannot even comprehend the pain of those in other countries who are being persecuted for their faith, being taken advantage of because of their own disadvantages, or even those poor children who are lost without parents in countries torn from war or disaster.

But God hears the cries, and God rescues.  We may not understand and it may look like no rescue is in sight, but we serve a God of justice and restoration and righteousness.

We too can cry out for the those in bondage.

And God WILL come and set them free.

Holy City

Rev 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I’ve heard of Sin City and the Windy City, but never the Holy City.  It’s a place where only the holy will reside, those who have been purified and made perfect in his sight, by his blood.  It’s a place prepared for the holy, and it’s a new city where we reside in the presence of God always…the Holy One.

John, the writer of Revelation, saw a vision of this city descending down out of heaven.

Most of us don’t think of heaven on a daily basis, unless we’ve lost a loved one, or unless we’re suffering something that is bringing us close to death.  Then we wonder a lot about the after life.

There’s no need to fear or wonder or even try to figure it all out.

All we have to do is accept that He’s a Good Father, a Sweet Savior, and a Heavenly Husband awaiting his bride – us.  It’s that simple.

What a beautiful thought…

You Alone

Rev 15:4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

Can you imagine every nation in the entire world worshiping before the One who is holy?  It’s going to happen.  All ethnic groups, those who are across the seas from us, those right beside us, those who live in poverty-stricken lands, and those who live in luxurious fine castles.  Every knee will bow and every tongue confess.

It’s not because God is this egotistical being who will someday cause everyone to bow a knee; but rather, he is the only one – the HOLY ONE – and his desire is that we be holy so that we can experience all that he is and when we do...oh wow.

His “righteous acts” – all of those things we never understood and could not explain – will one day be revealed and that revelation will cause all of us to fall before him in adoration and worship like never before.

I wonder what that day will be like?  It’s coming…and it’s going to be glorious.

Day and Night

Revelation 4:8

Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Can you imagine a place where nonstop “holy, holy, holy” is going on?  Would it grate on our nerves?

I don’t think so. 

When we arrive and see him in all of his glory and realize that all he said was true, and experience complete wiping away of all tears, healing of all sicknesses, and restoration of all that was lost, I can imagine that we will join in as we cry out “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”

In fact, we might want to continue forever in adoration of the One Who is Faithful and True.

We lose sight of his faithfulness and truth as we live daily in this life, with bad news, loss of hope, huge disappointments, and great fears that we encounter.  It’s hard sometimes to keep on and take another step forward, when the wind is constantly pushing us backwards.

But just like when a storm subsides, flood waters recede, and clouds pass, the sun is always there shining.  And one day, there will be no more storms or floods or clouds to cover – only sun forever.

I can’t imagine it.  But I plan to be there, among those who cry out, and next to all of those who have been made holy through his great mercy and love…

Built Up

Jude 20

 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,  keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

“building yourselves up” – what does this mean?

One way we can do this is to assemble with others who are in pursuit of holiness.  There’s no better place or way to be spurred on to holiness than by rubbing shoulders and spending time with other believers who are also struggling.  We will get annoyed, downright peeved, and also blessed, when we do.

We just “keep” ourselves in God’s love.  His love never changes, but we wander in and out of it, by believing lies about Him and about ourselves.

God is merciful, he sent his son Jesus to die in our place, to restore us to Him. However, he expects us to continue on, press forward, and walk in the light as we choose to remain in his truth, his word, and surrounded by his people, so that we all one day…

Experience that eternal life he has for all of us who believe.

Don’t lose hope or faith or pursuit of holiness.  Let others be near you to annoy you.  And learn from each day to surrender all concerns to Him, as he works out his clay-forming hands to make us into His image as we let him heal, make over, and create…