This morning I woke up reflecting on God’s love for me. Often times people use the colloquial expression “For the love of God!” as an idiom. Often times the expression is used to express discontentment. People will say, “I just washed the dishes and now the sink is full again…for the love of God! Can’t we just keep the house clean?” This expression reminded me that even when life is uncertain, difficult, and confusing, that I still need the love of God, we all need the love of God.

As I reflected on this expression, I was drawn to think about another reality … do I truly rely on God’s love as I seek to live for his glory? 1 John 4:18 says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” Do I truly rely on God’s love? or do I self-sufficiently rely on my resources, gifts, talents, and possessions, ironically often times forgetting that they all too come from God? Note that John also makes mention of the fact that those who rely in God’s love “live in love.” What does in mean to live in God? John, I would contend to say, tells us that living in God means that we remain in him. That is the exact same language John uses in his short letters, which in the letter of 1 John appears some 16 times. The sweet fellowship we experience in the Lord’s presence happens as we daily surrender our hearts, desires, fears, angst, pain, doubts, and weakness before a loving Father who is always ready to comfort us no matter the circumstances.

The problem is that I do not “long” enough. I want to, but my flesh often times takes me to the realm of self-reliance, manipulation, personal strength, and pride. Why can I not long enough? I remember a time in college when I had no desire to read God’s Word. I was empty. Why did my heart not long for God, I asked myself during that time. I speak here of the longing of our hearts; the cry of our souls before a holy God to whom we must yield total surrender. I think the natural causes are easily identifiable: sin, the flesh, and the devil, which are our threefold enemies.

I often find myself, and I would venture to say some times you do as well, longing for earthly things that can bring me joy and happiness. The cry of the Psalmist who exclaimed, “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God” (Psalm 84:10), at times seems so distant. The dry and weary land of our souls, when we find ourselves distraught, is constantly trying to sweep us away from the joy of being in God’s presence. The good news? A lack of longing is not necessarily bad. Why? Because the Lord is near us! Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.”

So, HOW can we ensure our longing for God does not wane? think about this question … should we even be asking it? Is it even possible to long for God constantly? Prima facie it makes sense. The problem is that this question is framed in such a way that quickly leads to moralistic thinking. If I pray enough, maybe God and I will be more intimate. If I read the Bible enough, such lack of yearning for God will vanish. If I serve God in some capacity, I’ll be able to overcome the fears of meaninglessness that so often plague my soul. “If I … if I … if I …” becomes the constant flow of perpetual failure. I have never met anyone who claims they pray enough, or read the Bible enough, or serves the Lord without eventually getting worn out (Try working in full time ministry! It ain’t easy folks!). So what’s the key?

I believe the key, or answer, to this conundrum is two-edged. First, we must do things that aid our fellowship with God. We must find discipline if we are to grow in our relationship with God. We must practice spiritual disciplines such as: bible reading, prayer, meditation, fasting, serving, stewardship, worship, etc. Such disciplines serve to keep our relationship with God fresh and dynamic. Second, we must fully and completely rely on God’s grace, because he alone can rekindle our affections for and toward him. We do not have enough willpower to overcome our fleshy tendencies apart from the grace of God … ask the apostle Paul! He wrote in Romans 7:18-19, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” He recognized the struggle you and I face on a constant basis. But, while acknowledging his weakness, he also recognized Christ can give us the strength to overcome our lack of longing for Him, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25).

For the love of God … Will you?

Written by Daniel Messina