Category: Crazy Love

Psalm 63: 1, 5b (NIV)
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
5b I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Psalm 63 is more than just a description of one who meets God, it is a prayer. For those of us who need to personally and intimately experience God’s crazy love today, let’s pray the same words as the psalmist: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you.”

Our whole being longs for God and that includes our lips, our vocal cords, and our breath, so let’s vocalize this prayer throughout the day. After all, we need God in the morning, we need him in the middle of the day, and we need him in the evening. In these moments of prayer, the Lord comes and we are reminded that we are loved by him, he is for us, and he is involved in our every day. His love reorders our thoughts and reshapes our day so that we can live a life-response of love to God.

In verse 5, how does the psalmist describe the experience of God’s presence? What does the verse say is the psalmist’s response?

Prayer: “God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you. I thirst and long for you Lord. I need your love to live today. May your love reorder my thoughts and reshape my day. May I live a life-response of love to you today. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

Let’s worship to “Lord, I Need You” (click here) by Matt Maher.

-LL

Psalm 63: 1, 5b (NIV)
1 You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
5b I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

A prayer inspired by Psalm 63:
“O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace… O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.” (A.W. Tozer, Pursuit of God)

How does this prayer from A.W. Tozer give us insight into how we can grow in love and desire for God? What happens to those who are satisfied by God?

In daily practice, we can grow in love for Jesus by taking every opportunity God offers us to pursue him. What opportunities in the church is God giving you today to grow in love for him (eg. be part of small group, serve others, participate in prayer meetings, etc)?

Prayer: Let’s pray that we would be open and ready to take the new opportunities God is calling us to pursue him. Let’s pray for a growing love for Jesus both personally and in our churches. “Lord, your love satisfies me and makes me thirst for more of you! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

-LL

Luke 7:37-38 (NIV)
37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

“This woman no longer cared what other people thought. She was so in love with Jesus that she forgot herself completely… She proceeded to pour out her perfume, anointing her Savior’s feet with scented oil. This was an expensive gift, almost certainly the most precious thing she owned, but she poured it all on the feet of Jesus. He was the treasure of her soul.” (Ryken, Loving Jesus, p.618)

Jesus says to those that are watching this moment unfold: “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.” Is this woman’s extravagant act earning Jesus’ forgiveness or is it a response to Jesus’ forgiveness?

When we experience God’s extravagant love we respond with extravagant love for him. What are concrete ways we can we express our love for Jesus today? How does love for God shape how we are to serve in the church, pray, read God’s word, and care for others?

Prayer: “Thank you God for your forgiveness! May I live today in response to your extravagant love. You are the treasure of my soul. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

Let’s worship to “Worthy Is Your Name” (click here) by Elevation Worship.

-LL

Psalm 63 (NIV)
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

“Sometimes when I come home from work, my little girl greets me by running out to the driveway and jumping into my arms before I can even get out of the car… My own love and desire for my kids’ love is so strong that it opened my eyes to how much God desires and loves us. My daughter’s expression of love for me and her desire to be with me is the most amazing thing… Through this experience, I came to understand that my desire for my children is only a faint echo of God’s great love for me and for every person He made. I am just an earthly, sinful father, and I love my kids so much it hurts. How could I not trust a heavenly, perfect Father who loves me infinitely more than I will ever love my kids?” (Francis Chan, Crazy Love)

How does the love of this dad, as imperfect as he is, give us a greater understanding of God’s intense and perfect love for us?

The word “love” in this Psalm is the Hebrew word hesed, a multifaceted term that speaks to God’s loving-kindness, goodness, unmerited favor, loyalty, and steadfast love. How do these aspects of God’s hesed love give us a fuller picture of the “love that is better than life”?

Prayer: “Thank you Lord that your love is the love of the perfect Father. Today I will live confidently in your love as I face the challenges of school, work, and life. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

Let’s worship to “Jesus Only You” (click here) by Martin Smith.

-LL

Psalm 84:2 (NIV)
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

“Have you ever been under water for a period of time that is longer than you had expected? You know, as the time ticks away, how desperate you become to reach the surface and breathe the air. The greater the time you are under water, the more you long for a breath of air until that desire overwhelms you, and you rush to get to the surface as rapidly as possible. You have no other thoughts but quenching your need for air. That is what it means to long for God, to feel unfulfilled without Him.”
(Billy Graham, Hope for Each Day Morning and Evening)

The experience of meeting God and “breathing” his presence shows us what it’s like to live and breathe fully as Christians. We realize “Oh, this is normal! This is real living!” That experience of “breathing” teaches us the best place to be is to be with God.

In what ways do we get distracted and neglect our urgent need for the Lord’s presence? What are practical ways we can seek God today and be satisfied in him?

Prayer: “Lord, may I seek you and be satisfied in you today. There is no One else that I need and want. Thank you for your presence in my life and in our church. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”

-LL