“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
-Psalm 73:25-26
I am rather fond of saying that there are times in all of
our lives when the only thing we really, really have is God. Years ago I was taught that all our earthly
relationships tend to have a beginning and end; ebbs and flows. But the one relationship we, if you believe
and trust in Jesus, always have is with God.
The passage above takes my “rather fond” saying and sharpens
it critically. It’s not that “there are
times in all of our lives when the only thing we really, really have is God.” It is all the time. Our father desires a relationship with us in
the good times and the bad, in the sunshine and in the ashes; in our prosperity
and in our poverty. You get the point.
Not just in our needy times.
Ultimately our desire for God needs to be a 24/7 yearning. Needs to be.
And, if you are like me, it isn’t. Maybe that why season like Lent (that
I honestly have some issues with) are important for us fallible humans. Many people see Lent as a time of penitence,
where we give something up in honor of and hopefully in remembrance of what
Jesus did for us. There is great truth in that.
But I’m in a season personally of not feeling the need to
give anything up. But to take something
on. To grow in my relationship with the One who wants us 24/7. To focus my desires on my Creator. That will be my Lenten discipline…perhaps
sharpened by giving up a couple of things that I enjoy. Maybe. But only for this one purpose. To help me focus on my desire for God over
anything on earth. Anything.
What about you? What are you giving up/adding on for Lent…and
why? Why seems to be the crucial question here.
I’ll see how my focus is for the next six weeks. And I’ll pray for yours if you would like….
