Our Longing for God

The sadness of self-accusation and self-condemnation, although is often misplaced and unhealthy, is partly born from a longing we all have for the perfection of God’s love, and the anticipated peace and joy promised in God’s salvation. Moreover, this longing reflects our recognising (whether consciously or not) that our lives are not right here on this earth for all sorts of different reasons, and that we subsequently long, so, so long, for God’s liberation.

Now, the further thought here is that this longing is also, therefore, very instructive, and that we must be open – to not only experiencing it in our own lives so we can turn to God more for healing and love – but also to see this longing in others. In their art, in their songs, in their stories, in their pain, anger, grief, and frustration, in their cries and screams, in their desire for love, to be understood, to not be alone, in their hopes and dreams, in their deep yearnings for perfection and joy, in friendships, in work, in play, in their children, in beauty, in creativity, in redemption, and in all things good and wonderful!!

It then occurs to me why I like Eva Cassidy’s version of ‘Over the Rainbow’ more than Judy Garland’s. While in Judy’s voice we hear her vulnerability (as with all her songs), in Eva’s we hear much more her deep longing for something better, and beyond ‘the imperfect now’ – this sentiment connects better with me, because I can see her longing within me too, as I long for God’s and Christ’s coming, and, moreover, that I share this longing, this yearning hope, with all humanity, as I hear her voice and mine together.

I am now reminded of Psalm 42:1-5 in the Old Testament and can also hear this longing across the ages connecting again with us all:

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long. “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise you, my saviour and my God.”

Do you like Steve’s posts? Then you’ll love the insights he shares in his book, Nine Steps to Well-Being: A Spiritual Guide for Disconnected Christians and Other Questioning Journeyers. For more details go to http://disconnectedchristians.blogspot.co.uk/ or to the publisher’s website ‘Whispering Tree Original Books’ where the first three chapters can be accessed FREE! http://www.whisperingtreeoriginalbooks.com/?page_id=40