Focus: Longing For God

Text: Mk.6:48

"And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and WOULD HAVE PASSED BY THEM."

God is an earnest seeker of His people. 

In 2Chron.36:15, we read, "And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, RISING UP BETIMES, AND SENDING; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place." This phrase, 'rising up early' occurs severally in Jeremiah, and it has to do with God seeking and talking to His people. In 7:13, it is, "rising up early and speaking..." Verse 25: "Daily rising up early and sending them…" 11:7: "Rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice." 25:3: "I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened." 25:4: "Rising early and sending them…" 26:5: "Whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them…" 29:19: "Rising up early and sending them…" 32:33: "Though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them…" 35:14: "I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking…" 35:15: "Rising up early and sending them…" Finally, 44:4: "Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them…" That is a total of eleven times. 

God is an early riser in search of His people and for their welfare. For the whole time God experienced rejection. He suffered from a spurned love and passionate concern for His people. They rejected His messengers and killed the prophets. He longed for His own, but they had nothing to do with Him. John says, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto HIS OWN, and HIS OWN received him not" (Jh.1:10-11). 

The world He made did not recognize Him, and His own people would have nothing to do with Him. That is the most stupid thing for anyone to do - rejecting your source of existence and spurning His love.

Our text says that the Lord Jesus Christ was coming to His disciples in the fourth watch of the night, but when He got there, He behaved like He was going somewhere else. Why? Because He wanted them to long for Him and show that they truly needed and wanted Him.

The Lord Jesus Christ longs for us to long for Him. He loves it when we desire and long for His presence. The Holy Spirit does not want to feel unwanted in our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ desires to be desired. God delights in us desiring Him. It gives God pleasure when we seek His face and desire to be with Him. John writes, "Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev.4:11). God was delighted in making us, and for His pleasure He brought us into existence.

Moses said to Israel, "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul" (Dt.4:29). God said the same thing through the mouth of Jeremiah, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer.29:13). In Isaiah we read, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Isa.55:6). The Lord says, "Yet THEY SEEK ME DAILY, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take DELIGHT IN APPROACHING TO GOD" (Isa.58:2). In Proverbs 8, Wisdom says, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me." In verse 5, we read, "THEY that seek the LORD understand all things." The psalmist says, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Ps.63:1). In Psalm 69:32, he says, "Your heart shall live that seek God." Our heart comes alive when we seek God.

In one of his resurrection appearances, he joined two of his disciples as they were traveling back to their village from Jerusalem. Luke reports that "they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and HE MADE AS THOUGH HE WOULD HAVE GONE FURTHER. But THEY CONSTRAINED HIM, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And HE WENT IN TO TARRY WITH THEM" (Lk.24:28-29). We have a saying in my place that the feeling of being invited to a meeting brightens the face. The feeling of being called to an event is so sweet. You feel very much better than the feeling of coming to an event uninvited.

How much do you long for your God? How well do you cherish His company and communion? 

Our sense of value greatly determines the flow of Christ's virtue to us. How we view Christ determines how we value Him. Whatever we allow to distract us from God has become an another god for us. Whatever fascinates us away from the Lord seeks to take His place in our lives. Watch it!

Never keep a distance from God! He loves us jealously. Don't let Him pass! Constrain Him! Get God and do all you can to keep Him! Spend time with Him! Have a private conversation with Him on daily basis! Commune with Him in your heart! Desire Him more than anything or anyone else! Refuse to suffer what king Saul suffered for lack of God's presence in his life. It is a terrible thing to function without God's presence in one's life. Saul said, "I am sore distressed… God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams…" (1Sam.28:15). Saul became a confused man and totally clueless. In fact, Saul got mad for the absence of God in his life. He lost presence of mind for the absence of God. I pray that is not your portion! Let us develop an acute hunger and deep thirst for the presence of God! Let the longing for God fill your heart with incredible peace and unspeakable joy! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter