“And David danced before the Lord with all his might…” 2 Sam. 6:14
“Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” “ John 4:13-14
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” Mt. 5:6
“As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…” Psalm 42:1-2
“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30
“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3
What, my friend, is the deepest cry of your heart? What is your deepest desire? Your greatest longing? Your biggest dream? Your strongest passion? What drives you more than anything else? What do you strive for more than anything or anyone? What do you want more than anything? What do you hunger for more than anything? What do you thirst for with such exceeding thirst that you wonder how your thirst can possibly be quenched? If you look at your life as a whole, and then look at your life through the lens of just a single 24 hour period, what holds more meaning, and more significance, right down to this very moment, and then panning out to your whole entire life, more than anything, and yes, more than anyone? What is the cry of your heart, my friend? No matter how much you desire in life, if you were to cry out in desperation for more of just one thing, one single thing, as holding more value in your heart, than absolutely anything in the universe? If you are already crying out for this, or if you never have, or only once in a while, no matter, if you were to describe in words this greatest cry of yours, whatever it is, what, my friend, would it be?
I’m going to get personal with you. Mine is this. More of you, oh Lord. More intimacy with you. More knowing you. More being loved by you. More loving you. More of your mercy, your sweetness, your tenderness, more of being conformed to you, more of drawing ever closer to you, oh, more hearing you, Lord, more being filled with your Spirit, more being led by your Spirit, more of your goodness, more of you drawing nearer to me, not just me to you, more quenching of my thirst for you, more experiencing you, more of your presence, more of feeling you here with me, more being transformed by you, more serving you, more being used by you, more telling the world about you, more of your strength, your grace, your Truth, oh, more of your Word, my Lord, more wisdom, more understanding, more of your comfort, your discernment, your fellowship, your friendship, oh, how hungry I am for you, give me more of you, oh Lord, forgive me, more of your forgiveness, for whenever I fall short, dear Lord, oh, be with me, Lord, be with me, show me your glory, show me yourself, draw me to you, dear Lord, come close, come near, be with me, Lord, oh, so much more of you I desire!
If you know my history, you know who I have become in Christ, the way God has transformed me, the hunger and thirst and heart and passion and zeal He has given me for Himself, runs utterly contrarily to how I lived for decades. For I lived for myself. I lived for others. I lived for this world. I lived for Satan. I hungered and thirsted for whatever made me feel good – or could make me feel better. The cry of my heart was for anything, or anyone, I thought could please me, and make me comfortable, and such. The Lord has changed the greatest cry of my heart. He has given me a heart that above all, above anyone, cries out for Him!
His greatest command, to love Him with all our hearts, our minds, our souls, our strength, to have no other gods before Him, these are not merely words. This is His command. That He would be the greatest cry of our hearts. Our greatest longing, our greatest desire, our greatest need, our greatest want, our greatest dream and passion.
And, I can promise you my friend, when you consciously decide to learn to die to self and to live for Christ, you will taste and see that the Lord is so good, so wonderful, so beautiful, so lovely, so magnificent, so glorious, so unfathomable, so indescribable, so awesome, so phenomenal, so holy, righteous, and true, so breathtaking, that intimacy with Him as Lord of all, including of our hearts and lives, is more amazing than anything or anyone we will ever find on this earth.
May He be your greatest love, your greatest desire. May He be the greatest cry of your heart, and may your life, in its entirety, and day by day, attest to the fact you have learned, and are learning, and are committed, that He be your all in all, your absolutely without a shadow of doubt your greatest love – forever. There is nothing wrong with desiring God’s will and the blessings He has for us on this earth, but may these always come second in our desires to the Lord being our greatest desire of all, the very greatest, the deepest, cry of our hearts! Oh, cry out for His majesty! For the Lord most high! For the Lord of all! For the Lord Jesus Christ, amen!