4 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Judges 16:20 (CSB): “Then she cried, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ When he awoke from his sleep, he said, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the LORD had left him.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
The last part of Judges 16:20 has got to be one of the saddest verses in the Bible. Samson woke up and “did not know that the Lord had left him.”
How is that possible?!
Well, it’s actually fairly simple. If the Lord is a vital part of our lives, if we enjoy Him and obey Him while living with a conscious awareness of His presence with us, then we will become keenly aware if we have slipped away from Him.
But, if, like Samson, we aren’t serious about our walk with the Lord, then we won’t miss Him when He leaves us.
I have written and talked so much about men and women who enjoyed their God. I’ve talked about Moses, who craved to experience God’s glory. I’ve written about Isaiah, who peered into Heaven and saw the Lord. I’ve talked about the psalmist who said that his soul craved the Lord just like a dehydrated deer craved streams of water. The greatest happiness we could possibly have this side of Heaven and in eternity is being happy in our God.
People who have delighted themselves in their God (Psalm 37:4) have also realized that the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38) is intended to be a huge blessing. If we learn to love our God with everything we’ve got, it can satisfy our soul’s deepest longings, put a song in our heart and a pep in our step.
The sad fact is that there are too many people like Samson. They don’t enjoy their God, so they don’t notice when they have wandered away from Him. They are living their lives so far short of what is possible.
I realize that talking about the happiness you can have in God is capable of doing absolutely nothing to whet your appetite for Him, as the following story illustrates.
My wife went to the Grand Canyon in 1996, the year before we married. She told me it was so amazing as she tried to help me experience something with her descriptions. She tried fruitlessly to get me excited about the Grand Canyon with her words. She never accomplished her purpose … until our family went to the Grand Canyon in 2017. As I stood on the edge of the North Rim, I realized just how wonderful it is when awe, fear, and other emotions converge simultaneously. It was there that I was able to understand what my wife had been trying to tell me for a couple of decades.
Sometimes, you can’t get excited about something you haven’t experienced. You simply have to experience it for yourself.
Friend, I could tell you all day long how wonderful it is to experience and enjoy God. But it will probably mean nothing to you unless you experience Him for yourself. So, I would encourage you to chase after Him. Trust me! Enjoying Him is well worth it!
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you realize there is so much more to enjoying Him than you have ever experienced.
- Ask God to help you “thirst after Him as a deer thirst after streams of water” and then experience the happiness of being satisfied with and in Him.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into what is enjoyable about God, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 