"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." -Psalm 42:1

You know, the very time we want God the least is when we need Him the most.

Think about it. When we want to do things our own way, that is when we need Him to show us our way will ultimately end in heartache. When we don't want Him to tell us what to do, that is when we need Him all the more to help us obey and trust His will. When we don't want to die to ourselves, that is when we need His strength to say "no" and do the right thing, even if it hurts.

This is something I'm still very much learning…the times I push God away are the times I so desperately need Him, even if I'm unwilling to admit it. Something in our sinful human nature makes us want to be independent, to make our own decisions, and to do whatever we want however we want.

"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart." -Proverbs 21:2 

By the grace of God, when we are born again, our desires are changed, but it's a life-long process to continually follow Him. To continually choose His ways. To realize how empty and pitiful and lost we are without Him. To realize He is our all and all. To realize that more than anything in this world…He is the only One we will ever really need.

(Repost from Oct. 6, 2005)