Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
Notice the correlation between tasting and trusting. When we’ve
tasted God’s goodness by putting our trust in Him, we’ll want even more.
Our craving for God will intensify exponentially.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a craving as “an intense, urgent, or
abnormal desire or longing.” For those of us who’ve lived long enough,
we understand this definition because we’ve experienced it firsthand.
When I was pregnant with my oldest son, I craved lime sherbet. I
deployed my poor hubby on several midnight missions to procure a half
gallon of the green concoction. With my youngest son, it was pepperoni
pizza. I can’t count the number of times I went for a prenatal check-up
(and the dreaded weigh-in), quickly followed by a visit to the local
pizza joint, where I devoured the triangular bits of nirvana. As I’ve
grown older (and more exhausted), my cravings lean toward anything that
will give me a boost of energy–usually a well-doctored cup of coffee.
As I’ve considered my history of cravings, I realize that I can’t
crave something unless I’ve already tasted it. How could I desire that
piece of chocolate cake unless I didn’t already know how wonderful it
will taste on my tongue?
A word of caution is in order here. We would be wise to carefully
consider the things we crave, food or otherwise. Just as Eve craved the
forbidden fruit, our desires can easily become the enemy’s playground.
Giving into Satan’s temptation leads only to destruction and death. The
best way to avoid his traps?
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
I used to believe this verse meant that if I delighted in God, He’d
give me anything and everything I wanted. But parenthood has taught me
how unwise it is to give children everything they want. (They quickly
morph into greedy, selfish brats with insatiable appetites, and we’re no
different!)
Instead, our God is a loving and wise Father who made us with a far
greater purpose in mind. He’s designed each of us with a need for Him–a
soul hunger that can’t be satisfied by anything else. I’ve learned that
by delighting myself in the Lord, He becomes the desire–the craving–of
my heart.
Father God, thank You for being the only desire that
truly satisfies. Help us take the time to delight ourselves in You, to
taste Your goodness, to trust You fully. Make us painfully aware of the
cravings in our lives placed there by the enemy. May we flee His snare
and run to You as our only heart’s desire. Give us more and more of You.
Amen.
Pardon My Mishaps
Sorry to appear so wishy-washy, but I can't seem to transfer my feeds from WordVessel to my new website. So instead I'll be posting in both places. Hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone! =)
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