“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.” – Isaiah 26:9a NIV
As I write this I can hear 54 happy kids singing the vacation bible school songs…and one very unhappy child who misses his mom. It’s not good enough that there are so many fun things to do at VBS. It’s not good enough that half a dozen leaders are doing everything they can to help him feel better. It’s not even good enough that his siblings are at VBS with him, and they are having fun. There is only one thing that will satisfy him – his mom.
What if we longed for God with such intensity? What if we said, “I don’t care how many fun things there are to do in this world. I don’t care if I am the center of attention. I don’t care if everyone else is happy. I won’t be satisfied unless I know God is with me.”
The Afro-American spiritual “Give Me Jesus” expresses this sentiment. Coming out of the struggles of slavery and oppression, the verses lift up many different situations, both joyful and difficult. “In the morning when I rise.” “Dark midnight was my cry.” “O when I come to die.” In each situation the answer is always the same – Give me Jesus.
Give me Jesus, Give me Jesus;
You may have all this world – Give me Jesus.
Mom finally appeared and the child’s tears instantly stopped. That’s all he wanted. He just wanted her. May we so long for Jesus.
Blessings this week.
Pastor Mark