WWTW- Longing And Fainting

Oh Lord of hosts how lovely, thy tabernacles are; for them my heart is yearning in banishment afar. My soul is longing, fainting, thy sacred courts to see; my heart and flesh are crying, oh living God for thee.

As we sang these words this past Sunday morning I couldn't help but feel moved by the psalmist's love for the ordinances of The Lord. This in turn drew light to my own shortfallings in this area. Why do we really go to church each week? Is it simply out of habit? To visit with friends or family we may not have otherwise gotten a chance to see? Or are our souls genuinely longing and fainting to be in the house of our God?

Blest they who dwell in Zion, whose joy and strength Thou art; forever they will praise thee, thy ways are in their heart. Tho' tried their tears like showers shall fill the springs of peace, and all the way to Zion their strength shall still increase.

Oftentimes I struggle with Sundays, as a parent they can be all too frustrating. Church services may interrupt nap schedules and feeding schedules. Little ones squirm and chat in their seats, constantly breaking your focus on what is being preached. Our minds may wander to all the things we need to finish in the coming week, or what we are going to make for lunch. We may glance around and see other members of the congregation and think to ourselves about who we need to check in with or who may be struggling and how we can help them.

Maybe you are not a parent but have your own personal struggles and find the sabbath difficult because of the quiet. Maybe the rest gives you too much time to think about your difficulties or stirs up a feeling of doubt and dread about what is to come in the week ahead. I know that all of these things can be true for me and sometimes it is hard to find a personal blessing in the snippets of the service that I do catch. I have also been guilty of thinking to myself why do I bother to come along every week if I never seem to find a blessing?

How can we break this cycle of going to church simply because we feel it is required of us and to start truly longing and fainting to be in the courts of The Lord?

Our first step in all things is to pray. Pray that the Lord will increase your desire for him and to be in his house.

Next is to spend time in meditation and prayer. Not only on Sundays but throughout the week. Personal devotions and family bible readings are both great places to start.

Thirdly, is to surround yourself with things that will help you to focus on God. Whether it be writing or printing out your favourite verses and hanging them where you will see them or listening to your favourite hymns throughout the day. The more you take time to focus on God and spend time in his word and praises throughout the week the more you will begin to desire to come to His house on His day.

Surround yourself with other people who desire God. Find friends in faith whether from your church community or online and share with them throughout the week. Spend time together meditating on a sermon, doing a bible study, singing hymns and psalms together or simply just praying for one another.

Lastly, take a look into what you are spending your time looking at when you sit down to spend time on social media. Maybe it would be beneficial to sift through all of the accounts that you are following and take time to think about what good they are bringing to your life. There are so many wonderful people and pages we can follow along with that can help to bring a little more of God's word into your life.

I pray that you will be able to say along with the Psalmist the your soul pants after God and thirsts for Him.