Longings of the Heart

Most days, by God’s grace, I am happy and content, even joyful.

But not today. And no, it’s not because of the playoffs this weekend. (Not that they helped, but the groaning and crying out of Romans 8 is a lot bigger than the NFL.)

I had a wonderful church experience this weekend, and some great conversations with my wife and others. It’s been six months since I last experienced a couple of days of depression. But today I feel drained of joy.

Perhaps you feel this way too. If so, and even if not, this won’t be a pity party, but perhaps we can walk together toward God. His is a path familiar with joy, both its presence and its absence, as the Psalms testify. Or Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

There is a sweetness and comfort to God’s presence even in times of heaviness, and I’m grateful for it. The Holy Spirit always takes me to His Word for perspective, encouragement and hope. Today He has taken me to the subject of the longings of the heart. I think I’ll devote several blogs to this, dealing with different aspects of our longing.