Behold the Longing: Finding God in the Desire for More
The Ache We Carry
Have you ever felt a longing you couldn’t quite name? A yearning for something deeper—something just beyond your reach?tThis ache is often dismissed or buried deep within. This longing is a holy invitation—a gentle whisper calling you to draw closer to God. This longing can be a signpost, pointing us toward His presence and the transformative peace found in Him. In this season of waiting, let’s pause and listen. What if the very ache you feel is God inviting you into a deeper connection, a space to dwell in His promises and presence?
Biblical Insight: Longing for God in the Waiting
Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
In this Psalm, the writer compares his longing to the longing of the deer. As the deer longs for thirst, the psalmist longed for and needed God. Charles Spurgeon says, “The enjoyment of communion with God was an urgent need of his soul; he viewed it not merely as the sweetest of all luxuries, but as an absolute necessity, like water to a stag.” The Psalmist wasn’t thirsty for water but for God. The emphasis is on the desperation of the need. We can go many days without food, but thirstiness is a desperate need. This was a longing to connect again with God and His people at the tabernacle or temple.
This is our longing as well. We long for a deeper connection with God. Just as the psalmist’s thirst for God was a desperate need, our spiritual journey during Advent mirrors this longing. We live in the tension between the "already" and the "not yet"—celebrating Christ’s first coming while yearning for His return and His presence in the everyday moments of our lives.
Advent invites us to acknowledge the ache within us, the unfulfilled desires for deeper connection, healing, clarity, or peace. These longings are not something to suppress or dismiss; instead, they are a holy space where God meets us. Like the psalmist who thirsted for the living God, Advent calls us to turn our hearts toward Him, seeking fulfillment in His presence.
This longing also reflects our need for communion with God, as Spurgeon beautifully describes. Advent reminds us that God did not leave us to thirst in our longing but sent His Son to dwell among us. Through Jesus, we are invited to drink deeply of His peace, grace, and love. Yet, even as we dwell in this truth, we wait. We wait for the fullness of His promises and the restoration of all things.
Invitation to Slow Down
In this season, let your longing become a prayer. Rather than rushing to fill the void, take time to sit with it, letting it draw you nearer to God. Just as the psalmist’s thirst drove him toward the living God, may our own desires push us to dwell in His presence, trusting that He is faithful to meet us there. Advent reminds us that in our waiting, God is present, and our longing is not in vain.
The busyness of the season can cause us to suppress some of these emotions. Instead of rushing past the ache, what if we leaned into it? What if our longing could lead us to dwell with God?
Practice: A Breath Prayer
A breath prayer can help you focus on the quietness of God’s presence in the silence.
Inhale: “Come, Lord Jesus…”
Exhale: “…meet me in my longing.”
Reflection
What do you long for in this season of life?
How might you invite God into your longing instead of rushing to solve or silence it?
Lord, as we enter this week of Advent, help us to slow down and turn our attention toward You. In the quiet places of our hearts, reveal Yourself to us. Teach us to embrace our longing as an invitation to dwell in Your presence and to trust in Your goodness. May we find peace in knowing that our desires and longings are met fully in You, even as we wait for the fulfillment of Your promises. Let this week be a sacred time of seeking and finding You in the stillness. Amen.