"God, You are my God;"
Pause and ask yourself if what you declare by reading this line is true for you? Is God really YOUR GOD? In other words, Does He have control of your life? Is he the one who guides and directs your paths? Take some time to invite Him to fill you and guide you today!
"I earnestly seek You.
I thirst for You;
my body faints for You in a dry and desolate land without water."
This declaration is what naturally follows the first IF indeed the first is true for us. If God is really OUR GOD, than what else would we seek besides HIM? Pause and ask the Spirit to examine the longings of your heart...don't just assume they are for God...If you find your heart divided, and the "natural longing" of your heart right now is NOT for God, then take some prolonged time to do what the next line instructs...(if your heart IS longing for God -- what is next will come more naturally)
"So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory."
If God is not the longing of your heart then chances are you have not spent a lot of time doing what this verse says lately. Maybe you're reading your Bible regularly and praying for people and trying to "do your best" to live a good Christian life. But when have you last stopped just to GAZE at GOD in order to behold His strength and glory?
The question for most is HOW? How do I gaze at God? (meditate on Him, be still in His Presence) It all sounds wonderful--but for any who have tried we all know how easily our minds get distracted by our own thoughts and things around us. But my friends, don't give up--keep pressing into God's presence--learn to gaze at Him and dwell with Him more and I promise He will speak, and He will surely reveal more and more of His power and glory to you--and more and more of His faithful love and tenderness!
Here are some helpful things that I have used as I continue to learn to "gaze at God" more:
-Invite the Holy Spirit to take over -- submit yourself to Him, ask Him to help you.
-WRITE -- I find writing down my thoughts and what I feel I'm hearing from God incredibly helpful.
-Jot down distracting thoughts --- I also keep a piece of paper near me to jot down "distracting thoughts" that come into my mind so that I can stop thinking about them because I know I can return to them later. This for me has been incredibly helpful in getting rid of the "noise" of my task oriented mind.
-Use Scripture to focus on God. Look up a short passage that describes or speaks of God--meditate on that passage to help you focus.
-Surroundings. Position yourself in a place that is conducive to being still and reflective. For me it's different at times. Being in nature is helpful, or at the very least being somewhere quiet where the chances of interruption is minimal. Find the place that works for YOU.
-PRACTICE --- sometimes your attempts will be frustrating and feel "in vain", but keep "practicing"--"practice gazing at God until it is no longer an exercise but a natural rhythm of your life"
-Share the journey with others --- share the experience in groups, and have people you can talk to about what you are experiencing in your personal times.
Below is a quote from AB Simpson about his experience of seeking God's presence:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Then came the conflict of thoughts for tomorrow, and its duties and cares; but God said, “Be still.”
And as I listened, and slowly learned to obey, and shut my ears to every sound, I found after a while that when the other voices ceased, or I ceased to hear them, there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness, power and comfort.
As I listened, it became to me the voice of prayer, the voice of wisdom, the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard, or pray so hard, or trust so hard; but that “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God’s prayer in my secret soul, was God’s answer to all my questions, was God’s life and strength for soul and body, and became the substance of all knowledge, and all prayer and all blessing: for it was the living GOD Himself as my life, my all.
You can find Simpson's full account of his experience HERE
