By Bunni Pounds

*This blog is part of our weekly, virtual Bible Study through the book of Psalms. For information on how to participate, please visit this page.

Intimacy with God.

If I encourage everyone in this life to do anything else – it is to walk with God. There is really nothing else. 

I can motivate us all to go impact our cities, counties, states, and nations – but if we try to do it without walking with Jesus – it will be empty and shallow. 

Life without God is not worth living. Instead of looking for other relationships to fill us up, career boosts, and entertainment – there is only One person that can satisfy our souls. 

“O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.” (verse 1-4)

I love the mornings. I love thinking about God in the mornings – writing, praying, worshipping. Thinking deep thoughts about my life in His heart.

As I have said in this series before – there is clarity in our brains and a blessing for us when we turn our affections toward God first thing in the morning. When we give God the first fruits of our lives – He speaks to us and speaks through us. 

What pushes me toward God is just what pushed David – I live in a “dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” 

Anyone else with me? 

Nothing in the culture, in this land, and this world can satisfy my soul, and I understand it. The sooner we get to that revelation – the better. Once we see that reality clearly – then our pursuit of God from our heart will be intensified. There is nothing else. We must have Him and find His presence in His sanctuary. 

We seek Him early. 

We look in the sanctuary – where His people are, worship is, and where His Word is elevated. 

We praise Him with our lips, our mouths, through spoken Word and songs as we give Him thanks for His lovingkindness. 

We “lift up our hands” in His name – releasing the control of our lives to His life daily. 

In this place – the presence of God meets us. The truth of God meets us. And our souls are satisfied. 

“My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.” (verses 5-7)

When we live in such a dry place and we go for a long time without His Word, praise and thanksgiving, and His presence – we forget that He satisfies “with marrow and fatness”. Nothing fills us up like Jesus and fills our hearts with joy so much that it makes it on our lips and causes us to still be thinking about Him when we lie down. 

After I get done ministering or God has really moved through me in other people’s lives whether it is in front of a group speaking or sharing one on one – I feel so full and completely satisfied. I can’t sleep. I must come down from the “high” of being used by God to go to sleep because I keep thinking over and over again about His love for me, His grace toward me, and the power of His Word. 

It is the greatest satisfaction to give of yourself for the glory of God. 

The same thing happens when God gives us clear revelation in His Word where we never saw something before – but now we understand it. It is hard to go to sleep when you feel you have just been given secrets from God. 

In the “night watches” – we realize that He has been our help and that we are in the “shadow” of His wings. 

After we have experienced walking with God in the morning early and meditating on Him in the night watches – why would we want to live any other way? 

We lose our way many times – because enemies start coming after this place of intimacy in our life, and we don’t recognize that we are being attacked.
“My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.” (verse 8)

As the days get darker and the enemy grows stronger before the Coming of the Lord – our dependence on the Lord must become stronger.  Our soul needs to follow close behind Him. 

We so often forget that closeness to God is many times related to our closeness to the Body of Christ. We need each other. We need others exhorting us, showing us examples of running after God, worshipping around us, and praying for us. Let’s not do it alone. 

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)

Everything in the Church is designed around the Body of Christ – without the Body it is hard to follow “close” to the Lord. Jesus in my brother or sister stirs me up to want to be closer to Him.  

The stronger the enemy is after me – the more I need my brothers and sisters to hold me up. 

“But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.

But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped. (verses 9-11)

David understands the true revelation of what is going to happen to “those who seek my life, to destroy it.” It is not going to go well for them – judgement is coming. The wrath of God is real, and it is final, but those who turn to the Lord will find His “glory”. Lies will be stopped and truth shall reign. 

So often in this life we lose sight of how incredible His presence is in His sanctuary. If you have ever experienced the deep presence of God in the middle of the people of God – you know there is nothing like it till we get to heaven. We need more of Jesus in this time – not less. 

The reach of our heart to seek Him needs to only increase as the darkness gets brighter. His glory will be seen through us as we walk with Him and stay in His presence. 

Nothing will be like His sanctuary in the new heaven, though. He has redeemed us by His blood out of every tribe, tongue, and nation to be a part of His holy city. 

Hebrews 12:22-24 - “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

His blood “speaks better things” and my soul will be satisfied. 

Nothing satisfies like Jesus.

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