Consumed by irresistible longings and holy cravings
April 21, 2020
Psalm 119,20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
That's a strong word David uses when he says, "I am consumed day and night!" "My soul is broken!" (NB). He is eaten up on the inside. He is crushed. He loses his powers. He feels like hs is perishing. It is not external adversity or difficulties in life that stifle his strength and powers, it is his own length.
David had this deep and heartfelt longing to learn to know God better. The longing for God was so strong that it was simply a strain. He was crushed longing for God. He was consumed by this burning desire to know God's laws. It was not the knowledge of God that exhausted him, but it was the intense longing for God that consumed him.
Oh, if the people of God today could have the same zeal to get to know God through His words! I wish we all had this longing within us to see more of God's kindness and goodness through His laws. We must never settle down. We have just tasted and seen that God is good. It's so much more to see. The glory of God is so great that we need a whole life to explore the depths of God.
It is also worth noting that the longing for God is a longing for His laws. It is in the Word that we find God. This is where he reveals himself to those who are humble and willing to be taught, those who long for him.
“I am continually consumed by these irresistible longings, these cravings to obey your every commandment! (TPT)