By Kyle Nielsen
“God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.” (Psalm 63:1, CSB)
“The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness for God” -John Piper ‘A hunger for God’
What a statement. Truly, when we stop and think what our hearts really long for, we realize that we long to be with God. The condition of a Christian on this side of eternity is filled with trials, distractions, fluff, and the manifestations of sin in the world. Idols creep into our lives. They look, feel and taste so appealing. This could be the latest video game, that has minimal improvement over the previous game. Or the newest drama on television, that has the same old plot, just with new faces (sometimes, not even new faces). Finally, this could be the idols that we create are there to fill the void in our life. The shame, guilt, doubt, and fear of tomorrow drives us from our knees to the fridge. In any of the areas, the goal is to fill it with something else. Something is missing.
What exactly is the ‘thing’ or ingredient that is missing? I would like to suggest that would be our nearness to God. Being near to God brings peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), felt safety as we put on His armor (Ephesians 6:10), and finally, we can trust His promises of never leaving us or forsaking us easier. God, surely didn’t leave us, move on from us or change is His mind. No, we turned from Him and to other gods (our stomach, entertainment, and lust). Where God is, is where we long to be.
Nehemiah 1 for instance, states that Nehemiah set aside time in his life, fasted, prayed, and asked God for clarity on what to do. There is a Christian Hip Hop artist named Propaganda. He states in one his songs, “what a novel idea” when an answer that seems obvious, is missed. In our society, fasting and prayer are not always thought about or utilized when discerning the things of God or seeking His wisdom. The experience recorded in Nehemiah is the model in which we can follow. Set time aside in your life, take control over your body, spend more time in prayer focused on God, and finally, ask God for direction. Ask the Source of all life what you were created for. Ask Him what He wants you to do with the life that He continues to give you. Ask Him what idols do you have that you have placed over Him. Thank God for His unchanging character, His abounding mercy, and grace, His destiny changing choice to make a covenant with His own creation. God does hear you. He will answer those prayers, on His timing and for His glory.
If you have not felt that presence of God, or feel like you have heard from Him in a while, take some time to devout specifically to Him. Time with God is never wasted.
