Psalm 42: 1-3: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him? Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” ”

There are times when I am fully aware of my longing for God. It is so strong that my heart aches inside. At other times I have no awareness and am busy thinking and doing other things yet have felt so restless and unsettled. No matter what I put my hand to or think about in my mind it does not settle the unsettledness. What I believe is happening is that my deep longing for God is causing the unsettledness; I am dissatisfied with everything else. My deep being is crying out with longing for God. My outside being (my conscious self) is distracted with many things; some of these distractions may be my efforts to escape from my longing for God.

Then, too, there are my enemies who seems to whisper forever, “Where is this God of yours?” The demons are ever ready to throw this question at me when God seems not to be near, or seems not be hearing or paying attention.

My longing for God gets attacked by myself (the sinful self who is so full of self and does not want a competitor) or by the demons who do not want me to draw close to God in any way.

God knows this. He knows how to deliver me from the taunting demons. And, He knows how to work in my heart so my dissatisfaction deepens until I do turn to Him and am willing for Him to bring about the needed heart changes.

He has made clear in Scripture that He loves us and desires to fellowship with us. He has planted within us this deep longing for fellowship with Him, as well.

Copyright © 2003 Fran Woods

originally published at Bhojli Reflections

Spring has arrived here in Oz. So welcome! The warming days and the absolutely gorgeous flowers are so healing to the soul.
Here we have some Grape Hyacinths, one of my most favourites. Their delicate little bells proclaim to me that God remembers me and loves me.
I turned this into a piece of photo art by using software from Topaz Labs.

Incline my heart to you

My heart is inclined to you, O Lord
Yet not all
So often I see myself withholding
some thought, some desire
some bit of the old
declaring with shaking fist
this is mine,
don’t touch.

A so-called friend offends me
I’m enraged
I want revenge, tit for tat.
Don’t tell me to forgive,
it’s unforgivable…
so my heart inclines to hatred
this is mine
don’t touch.

There’s much to do, and
I’m tired of doing
I want to play
to go where I want to go
and do what I want to do
so my heart inclines to selfishness
this is mine
don’t touch.

And so the list goes on
I spiral down
lost to myself in whirling self-pity
deeper into loneliness,
so my heart inclines to
hopelessness and despair
O God, I am yours, You are mine
touch me.

Written as a result of reflecting on 1 Kings 8:54-61
Copyright © 2005 Fran Woods

via Incline my heart to you.

“… But that happened so that we would not depend on ourselves but on God. He raises the dead to life.” 2 Corinthians 1:9 NIRV

Anything that causes us to turn to God and lean harder on Him is an asset, not a liability. It’s when we lose a job, a marriage, a loved one, our health or our peace of mind that we can turn to God and discover what He can do.

And, for inspirational daily messages, check out www.thewordfortoday.com.au

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• The Benefits Of Struggle (pttyann2.wordpress.com)

What advice would you give to people who are aging?

First, accept it as part of God’s plan for your life, and thank him every day for the gift of that day. We’ve come to look on old age as something to be dreaded—and it’s true that it isn’t easy. I can’t honestly say that I like being old—not being able to do most of the things I used to do, for example, and being more dependent on others, and facing physical challenges that I know will only get worse. Old age can be a lonely time also—children scattered, spouse and friends gone.

But God has a reason for keeping us here (even if we don’t always understand it), and we need to recover the Bible’s understanding of life and longevity as gifts from God—and therefore as something good. Several times the Bible mentions people who died “at a good old age”—an interesting phrase (emphasis added). So part of my advice is to learn to be content, and that only comes as we accept each day as a gift from God and commit it into his hands. Paul’s words are true at every stage of life, but especially as we grow older: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

The other piece of advice I’d give is the other side of the coin, so to speak. It’s this: As we grow older we should focus not only on the present, but more and more on Heaven. This world, with all of its pains and sorrows and burdens, isn’t our final home. If we know Christ, we know we have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). I know it won’t be long before I’ll be going there, and I look forward to that day. Heaven gives us hope, and makes our present burdens easier to bear.

I thought his take on old age worth repeating here. I hope it encourages you.

(via Q & A: Billy Graham on Aging, Regrets, and Evangelicals | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction.)

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“Good people will prosper like palm trees, grow tall like Lebanon cedars; transplanted to God’s courtyard, they’ll grow tall in the presence of God, lithe and green, virile still in old age.” Psalm 92: 12-14 MSG

We can produce our greatest harvest of fruit in our final years. When the sun goes down the stars come out – we can shine brightest in the closing chapters of our life. So why not live right up till the moment you die?

Old age is not a disease that needs healing but rather a normal progress of our life. God has promised that we will still be fruitful in old age. Are we able to live with that promise? Or, do we like so many, try (vainly) to avoid the inevitable and so waste our energies on fretting about what’s happening to us, attempt to turn back the clock, or use some other denial strategy.

God has good things for us in old age!

Angry at God? If so, you’re not alone, says CWRU psychologist.

This complements a post of mine written back in 2006 – Angry at God?

Anger can be a healthy response to troublesome experiences (death, sickness, suffering, disappointments, etc). Stuffing anger is not a healthy response in any situation… it will pop up again, and maybe more intensely.

Whether a person believes in God or not, anger at life’s situations is directed “out there” at some “force” that is somehow causing our grief or suffering. It pays to look at it.

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• Are We Angry at God? (friendlyatheist.com)
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