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Q. What if I'm not holy enough to long for God?

A. David's picture (in Psalm 42:1) of the thirsting soul seeking God fits our image of who's spiritual: someone who's traveled much farther on perfection's road than we. The earnest seeker whose inner sensitivities are pitched to a higher degree than ours. Since we're loaded down with discouragement, anxieties, and fears, we can't relate.

But we've got it wrong. Is a panting deer a picture of mature development or of superior intelligence? No way! It's a basic survival instinct at play. In the absence of proper fluid, the animal thirsts.

The same holds true for us. When we don't have enough of God, we sense despair, hopelessness, or fear. We shouldn't look at depression as a sin or a sickness but as a thirst for God. We should not look at inner stress as a mark of spiritual immaturity but as a thirst for God. We mustn't let the enemy accuse us of lapses in spiritual fervor, but see these as indicators of spiritual dehydration.

So then what should I do?

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness isn't arriving at a level of inner discipline unknown to those of us who punch computers and fight traffic. It's the appetite that naturally emerges when we've neglected righteousness.

So when we feel guilty for not having prayed, for instance, we should view that constructively as an indicator of hunger and thirst for God rather than as a reminder of our spiritual ineptness. We should come humbly before the Lord, allowing the guilt to push us toward Him.

Steve Fry has recorded four worship albums and produces the Storyteller Project.

Adapted from: Rekindled Flame (Multnomah, 2001) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

O God, I need You desperately. As I grope my way toward you, please reveal Yourself to me.

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