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I just read an E-mail from a former classmate at seminary who is currently living in Lebanon. Jonathan was writing for prayer as Israeli bombs had landed within a mile of his home. He wrote about going to church on Sunday, July 16th with the sound of bombs exploding in the distance. Jonathan noted that there was a desperation to hear a word from God as they worshipped within the sound of war and death.
In the lazy days of summer I fear we lack what my friend's church experienced that day - a hunger to hear from God. When things are going well we are more concerned about how we look on Sunday morning than how God sees us. There are times we come to church when we are more interested in who else came than in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We leave church thinking about whether the musicians sounded good or the preacher communicated well rather than reflecting on what God was saying to us through the worship experience. We often lack desperation when we gather to worship.
Psalm 42:1,2 says, "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. Where can I go and meet with God?" This passage should be our normal Christian experience. The truth is that it often takes difficulties and problems before we cry out to God in this kind of desperation.
Lest I be hypocritical, my friend's worship experience challenged me in my approach to Sunday worship. Jonathan's church
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was desperate to hear from God because there was a chance that some in the congregation may not make it through the week. We are faced with the same possibility whether we realize it or not. None of us have a guarantee that we will live through the week. God could take us to be with Him through death or Jesus Christ could return.
The Apostle Paul lived with the reality that each day could be his last. He spoke of the return of Jesus being like a "thief in the night" (I Thes 5:2) and noted that we should encourage one another with the coming of Jesus and build each other up (I Thes 4:18, 5:11).
The truth is that most of us live like we have years left. We justify our spiritual shortcomings by thinking that some day we will be more yielded to Christ. When problems come our way, we are prone to blame God more than cry out to Him in desperation.
My prayer for us this summer is that we would not be lulled to sleep with the thought that we are invincible. May we not need another 9/11 to get on our knees in hunger to hear from God. May it not take a death of a loved one to realize we and all the people we care about are headed to the same earthly end. May it not take bad news from the doctor to start believing that God can work miracles today. May the truth that life may be short motivate us to hunger and thirst for God and live a life pleasing to Him!
-Pastor Rick
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