Psalm 145:17-21

If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? Your answer reveals a lot about who you are. The psalmist writes, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). There is nothing wrong with desires–they motivate us to achieve great things. But not all of our yearnings come from God.

Consider your aspirations and what they say about who you are:

Do you hope for a position of authority in order to be in control? Longing for personal advancement in order to manipulate others reveals a lack of integrity, whereas a godly person craves righteousness.

Do you dream about wealth and fame? Perhaps there’s a void in your spirit that you’re trying to fill. But only God can meet the insatiable needs of the human heart.

Are you afraid to ask the Lord for what you want? Maybe you think He won’t listen, but God tells us to approach His throne with boldness and confidence (Heb. 4:16).

If the Lord doesn’t respond affirmatively to your prayers, ask Him to make your desires conform to His will. Whatever you do, don’t take matters into your own hands and go after what you want. There is always a high price to pay for rebelling against God.

God cares for us bountifully, but that doesn’t mean we can expect Him to deliver whatever we want, whenever we want it. Only when our dreams align with His plan for our lives does He fulfill them. The thoughts that preoccupy us are an accurate barometer of the state of our relationship with Christ

 When a man wearing sunglasses approached the cash register of a Midwestern pharmacy and told the employees he was going to rob them, the pharmacist couldn’t believe his ears. Stepping forward, he thwarted the plans of the would-be burglar and prevented the crime before it came to fruition. But he didn’t scare the thief off by threat or weapon. In fact, the pharmacist did not even attempt to dissuade him from the theft. The man was stopped dead in his tracks because the pharmacist knew his name. Recognizing his voice, the pharmacist called him by name and asked if the robbery was a joke. The man immediately spun around and ran out of the store, boarding a nearby city bus.

It is easy to enter into certain situations with a false sense of anonymity. Shielded under the veil of obscurity, the pharmacy break-in seemed somehow easier to carry out. The man walked into the pharmacy thinking he would carry out a faceless robbery, when in fact the pharmacist knew his name, his address, and enough of his character to suspect it was a joke. Had someone not recognized him, he might have followed through with the crime.

The Christian story presents the startling thought that God knows your name. Whether living with the suspicion that some flaws, some fears, some thoughts, or some worries can stay hidden, how might it change if you imagine God calling out your name in the midst of it? Would you be startled at the sound of your name, jarred to attention by the only sovereign one in the room? At times, like the pharmacy burglar, we may instinctively feel like running, finding ourselves suddenly exposed where we once thought we were safely hidden. But really, what point is there in running away from someone who knows your name?

At one time in my life the words of Psalm 139 seemed a harsh reminder that my fleeing from God was unsuccessful. David’s prayer seemed to leap out, a stubborn confession of my own inability to hide:

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me…Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (139:1-7).

But there was always one verse in this psalm I unconsciously ignored. Speaking personally of God’s omniscience in his own life, David said, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (139:6).  There are many reasons in life that one might instinctively attempt to run from God. Often times, the thought of remaining in the presence of a holy God who knows your name is far too much to bear. The thought of it always made me feel scolded. David, too, seemed familiar with the terror of being caught in sin and called out by name. And yet, he also knew the beautiful mystery of being in the presence of one who would never stop calling his name, though he made his bed in the depths or settled on the far side of the sea.

That God knows your name means that God will not stop looking for you even though you hide. Though you turn away, God will not abstain from loving you. The Father will not stop striving to bring you back into arms that long to gather us: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”(1) Such knowledge is indeed too lofty for us to attain.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. 

(1) See John 10:14-15.

Morning “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” / Luke 5:4

We learn from this narrative, the necessity of human agency. The draught of
fishes was miraculous, yet neither the fisherman nor his boat, nor his fishing
tackle were ignored; but all were used to take the fishes. So in the saving of
souls, God worketh by means; and while the present economy of grace shall
stand, God will be pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. When God worketh without instruments, doubtless he is glorified; but
he hath himself selected the plan of instrumentality as being that by which he
is most magnified in the earth. Means of themselves are utterly unavailing.
“Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing.” What was the
reason of this? Were they not fishermen plying their special calling? Verily,
they were no raw hands; they understood the work. Had they gone about the toil
unskilfully? No. Had they lacked industry? No, they had toiled. Had they
lacked perseverance? No, they had toiled all the night. Was there a deficiency
of fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as soon as the Master came, they swam
to the net in shoals. What, then, is the reason? Is it because there is no
power in the means of themselves apart from the presence of Jesus? “Without
him we can do nothing.” But with Christ we can do all things. Christ’s
presence confers success. Jesus sat in Peter’s boat, and his will, by a
mysterious influence, drew the fish to the net. When Jesus is lifted up in his
Church, his presence is the Church’s power–the shout of a king is in the
midst of her. “I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.” Let us go out
this morning on our work of soul fishing, looking up in faith, and around us
in solemn anxiety. Let us toil till night comes, and we shall not labour in
vain, for he who bids us let down the net, will fill it with fishes.

Evening  “Praying in the Holy Ghost.” / Jude 20

Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer–“In the Holy Ghost.” The seed of
acceptable devotion must come from heaven’s storehouse. Only the prayer which
comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord’s arrows back to him.
That desire which he writes upon our heart will move his heart and bring down
a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with him.

Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord
not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. As
well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer–it is essential that it be
red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he
proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the
gate is closed, the more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer
the angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go
without the blessing. Beautiful in God’s sight is tearful, agonizing,
unconquerable importunity. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never
puffs us up with pride. It is his office to convince of sin, and so to bow us
down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing Gloria in
excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, or
we shall never behold glory in the highest. It is loving prayer. Prayer should
be perfumed with love, saturated with love–love to our fellow saints, and
love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails
only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens
it, so that we pray believing God’s promise. O that this blessed combination
of excellent graces, priceless and sweet as the spices of the merchant, might
be fragrant within us because the Holy Ghost is in our hearts! Most blessed
Comforter, exert thy mighty power within us, helping our infirmities in
prayer.

Pray in the Holy Spirit.    Jude 1:20

 Note the key characteristic of true prayer—”in the Holy Spirit.” The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven’s storehouse. Only the prayer that comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord’s arrows back to Him. The desire that He writes upon our heart will move His heart and bring down a blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him.

Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency do not plead at all. We might as well talk of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer—it is essential that it be red-hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true petitioner gathers force as he proceeds and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the louder the knocking becomes; and the longer the angel lingers, the more determined he becomes to never let him go without the blessing. In God’s sight tearful, agonizing, unconquerable importunity is commendable. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride. It is His part to convince of sin and to cause us to bow down in contrition and brokenness of spirit.

We will never sing Gloria in excelsis except when we pray to God de profundis: Out of the depths must we cry, or we will never behold glory in the highest. It is loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love—love for our fellow believers and love for Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails only to the extent that he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God’s promise. Now our prayer is that this blessed combination of excellent graces, as priceless and sweet as rare spices, might be fragrant within us because the Holy Spirit is in our hearts! Blessed Comforter, exert Your mighty power within us, helping our weaknesses in prayer.

Family Reading Plan    Ezekiel 41  Psalm 93