Psalm 42:1 NKJV - As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
This morning I got up and sat in my favorite spot on the couch where there has often been a portal and literally waited for God to minister to me. Nothing out of the ordinary happened . Everything was quiet and my mind wandered off sometimes even though I tried to keep it on the Lord. Yet, I knocked on the door, even literally knocking for a moment to let God know I wanted His attention. After I got no response, I just let Him know I would continue to wait even after I got up and continued with what I needed to get done for the day. I read my Bible with a consciousness that He was there even though I felt nothing. I read my devotionals and then had to move on. I thought about how I have had so many experiences where I felt God’s presence and experienced supernatural things that assured me of His being with me and in me. Just last week I had a supernatural experience where the water my feet was soaking in was hot for the whole 30 minutes I had it in the container. I stayed in spontaneous praise and worship the whole time. Normally the water would be room temperature after that length of time. It was as though the fire in my spirit manifested like a heater in my feet and kept the water just as hot until the end as it was in the beginning. Then I sat this morning feeling dry. This is an example of how we cannot live by our feelings. The Israelites experienced so many supernatural manifestations but every time they reached a place where it seemed like God was not there they were ready to forget Him and turn to other gods. It showed the shallowness of their convictions. Sometimes God turns everything off so we can see where we are spiritually. Should we have to feel something to stick with God or can we walk by faith, not by sight? During those dry times, it is not an indication that God has left you. It is a call for the chase. God wants you to chase Him down and pant after Him like the deer pants after the water when he is thirsty. AFTER I came to write this devotional I began to feel the presence of God. I was not moving on with God because I felt His presence. I have no where else to go so I don’t mind having to chase after the Lord. I't’s my chance to show Him I’m not a flaky fair weather Christian. I have decided to follow Jesus and there is no turning back for me. We must learn to serve God without feelings or we will fall when persecution comes or when we are enticed by the world with something that appeals to our flesh. I’m grateful that God began to minister me after I began to write this morning but I was ready to go all day chasing Him until I “found Him.”
Song of Solomon 3:1-4a NKJV
By night on my bed I sought the one I love;
I sought him, but I did not find him.
“I will rise now,” I said,
“And go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I will seek the one I love.”
I sought him, but I did not find him.
The watchmen who go about the city found me;
I said,
“Have you seen the one I love?”
Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go