There is no truer test of the state of the soul, than its deepest longings and desires. Outward conduct may be restrained by fear, reputation, or habit. But longing true, inward, unforced longing reveals the condition of the heart. As a person longs in secret, so they truly are.
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God's presence?" (Psalm 42:1-2) This is not casual interest. It is desperation. The deer in a drought-stricken wilderness, will not be distracted by secondary things it must have water or it will die. In the same way, the regenerate soul longs for Jesus. Not merely for blessings, not merely for relief, but for God Himself.
Longing for Jesus. Conversion is not the addition of religion to a busy life; it is the creation of new desires. The Spirit removes the heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Wherever there is saving grace, holy longings are born.
Psalm 63:1 says, "O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water." Notice the intensity. Saving faith is not a cold mental assent to doctrine though doctrine is essential; it is a living hunger for the living Jesus.
The believer says, "Whom have I in Heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" (Psalm 73:25-26) This is the language of supreme affection. "On earth I desire no one besides You." Jesus is treasured above all competitors. When flesh fails, when earthly joys fade, when strength diminishes then God remains as "the strength of my heart and my portion forever!"
Examine yourself here. What do you most deeply desire? Wealth? Fame? Lust? Or Jesus? One of the surest evidences of regeneration is this: when stripped of everything else, the soul still says, "Give me Jesus!"
Longing for Heaven. The Christian is, in a profound sense, a stranger here in this wilderness world. He is a citizen of Heaven, living temporarily on earth (Philippians 3:20.) This poor world cannot satisfy the renewed heart. "Arise and depart; for this is not your rest, because it is polluted." (Micah 2:10)
Thus, believers groan for glory (Romans 8:23) They do not merely fear Hell; they long for Heaven. They yearn to see the face of the One they now know by faith. Heaven is precious, not because of golden streets, but because Jesus is there. When the heart whispers, "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20), it reveals allegiance to another kingdom.
Whenever saving grace comes, it creates heavenly longings; desires which the world cannot understand. The saints crave Heaven, and thirst for the presence of God. Such longing marks them as strangers and pilgrims in this present world. "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!"
The righteous long for holy living, because God Himself authors those desires. What He intends to give, He first teaches us to crave. Spiritual desires are the buds of coming fruit. Do you long to conquer sin? That longing is evidence of spiritual life. Do you grieve your remaining corruption? That grief signals regeneration.
May your soul pant for Him. May your heart cry, "Whom have I in heaven but You?" May your deepest desire be Jesus now, Heaven soon, and holiness always.
The unconverted regret the consequences of sin, but they do not hate sin itself. The believer sighs to be free from sin altogether.
[Charles H. Spurgeon]
Proverbs 10:24 ... The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
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