Awake My Soul

When my first child was placed in my arms (after a lot of hard work I might add), I was completely smitten with this pint-size being who looked a lot like my husband. He wrapped his little finger around my heart and has never let go.   

As I watched this little man grow, I delighted in . . .

               . . . the way he explored his world.

               . . . the way he was unafraid to try anything new.

               . . . his sweet way of wrapping his chubby little arms around my neck. 

  . . . the way he looked at life – his sorrow over the “broken moon”.

I wanted to know everything I could about this little boy who had invaded our home and turned our world upside down.

In Psalm 37.4, God makes a promise. 

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.  (NLT)

There’s a condition to the promise.  Do you see it?  In order to get our heart’s desires, we must delight in our God.

Unreserved.  Outrageous.  Audacious.  Delight. 

Can you really take delight in someone you don’t know?  Delight comes in the Knowing.  

How can we delight in a God we do not know?  "Sure," you might say, "I know about God!"  BUT . . . There's a huge difference between knowing ABOUT God and KNOWING God.

Long ago God invaded my life, turning my world upside down and I've discovered something in this journey:   

The more I spend time with Him, the more I know Him, the easier it is to take pleasure in Him,  to delight in . . .

               . . . the way He knows me best and loves me most.

               . . . the way He cares for me in my brokenness.

               . . . the way He reveals Himself to me.

               . . . the way He satisfies my deepest longings.

And the more I delight in Him the more my desires become His desires.  I want what He wants.  I can’t seem to get enough of Him. 

But when I neglect keeping company with God, justifying that hearing a sermon, or being in my Bible study group covers my alone time with God and me, when I let busyness steal away my moments with Him, I delight in Him less.  

Instead of hungering for more of Him, I discover even a little of God is too much to take and my heart’s desires begin to change.  I crave an In-and-Out burger more than I desire my Savior.  I value people’s opinions of me more than I value God’s.

And before I know it I have all sorts of overwhelming desires clamoring for my attention.  Each calling out in their own way, claiming to feed my need for identity, worth and importance.  Each promising satisfaction that never seems to satisfy.

Why do I choose the temporal over the eternal?  Why do I delight more in a ballgame than in my Creator?

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes . . .  

. . . AWAKE MY SOUL . . . 

 (Mumford and Sons)

Awake my soul, O LORD!  Teach me to follow hard after You. Let me delight in Your presence more than anything else.  May my desires become Your desires for You are the One who Satisfies Fully . . . Loves Completely . . . and Never lets go.   Amen.