Longings After God

This last week has been a painful yet incredible reminder of God's desire for intimacy with me. Reflecting on a lot of things, including the sacrifice Jesus made to come to earth, I've been overwhelmed with how much He does love me, how much He does desire to not only be my sufficiency but to plunge me into depths of ABUNDANT intimacy, how much it hurts Him when I squander my affections elsewhere. Anyway, in light of all of that, here are a couple excerpts from Valley of Vision:

Longings After God

"My dear Lord,
I can but tell thee that thou knowest I long for nothing but thyself, nothing but holiness, nothing but union with thy will. Thou hast given me these desires, and thou alone canst give me the thing desired. My soul longs for communion with thee, for mortification of indwelling corruption, especially spiritual pride.
How precious it is to have a tender sense and clear apprehension of the mystery of godliness, of true holiness! What a blessedness to be like thee as much as it is possible for a creature to be like its Creator!

Lord, give me more of thy likeness; enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness; engage me to live more for thee. Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences, and when I feel at ease after sweet communings, teach me it is far too little I know and do.

Blessed Lord, let me climb up near to thee, and love, and long, and plead, and wrestle with thee, and pant for deliverance from the body of sin, for my heart is wandering and lifeless, and my soul mourns to think it should ever lose sight of its Beloved. Wrap my life in divine love, and keep me ever desiring thee, always humble and resigned to thy will, more fixed on thyself, that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering" (230-231).

I love this! I've read it I don't know how many times the last few days. What a beautiful prayer. What an expression of a heart fixed on Him, a heart in pursuit of intimacy with Him. Let this be my cry as well, Father.

Here's another one:

A Present Salvation

"Creator and Redeemer God,
Author of all existence, source of all blessedness, I adore thee for making me capable of knowing thee, for giving me reason and conscience, for leading me to desire thee; I praise thee for the revelation of thyself in the gospel, for thy heart as a dwelling place of pity, for thy thoughts of peace towards me, for thy patience and thy graciousness, for the vastness of thy mercy. Thou hast moved my conscience to know how the guilty can be pardoned, the unholy sanctified, the poor enriched. May I be always amongst those who not only hear but know thee, who walk with and rejoice in thee, who take thee at thy word and find life there.

Keep my always longing for a present salvation in Holy Spirit comforts and rejoicings, for spiritual graces and blessings, for help to value my duties as well as my privileges. May I cherish simplicity and godly sincerity of character. Help me to be in reality before thee as in appearance I am before men, to be religious before I profess religion, to leave the world before I enter the church, to set my affections on things above, to shun forbidden follies and vanities, to be a dispenser as well as a partaker of grace to be prepared to bear evil as well as to do good. O God, make me worthy of this calling, that the name of Jesus may be glorified in me and I in him" (20-21).


This week can definitely be summed up in God firmly but gently slapping me upside the head and showing me how far I've strayed from Him, how much I've squandered my affections elsewhere. He has proven Himself once again as my Pursuer, as the One who loves me far more than anyone else could, as truly the only One I need. He is not just my sufficiency; He is abundance, beyond all that I could ever want or hope for. He is my community, my home, my intimacy, my confidante, my security, my dwelling place, my everything. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my sin and my shame, for being Redeemer. Thank you, Father, for seeing me through the blood of your Son and for welcoming me back with open arms into your embrace. Thank you, Spirit, for convicting me and kindly leading me to repentance. I'm excited to be back abiding in you as you and I both want!