My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips, when I remember You upon my bed and meditate on You in the night watches. For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings will I rejoice. My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me. (5-8)
Lazy Christianity is the bane of the modern church. Many live half-hearted Christian lives, feigning allegiance to Christ on Sunday and then occasionally referring to Him at mealtime prayers or in passing thoughts. Yet, this is not what God desires for us, and this anemic Christianity is not normal. Normal is the language that David uses when praying to God in the wilderness… “earnestly will I seek you; my inner self thirsts for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is.” (vs. 1) It should be normal for us to be so focused on God, and so consumed by His Spirit that our entire attention is fixated on Him like someone dying of thirst is fixated on water. To our shame, though, we often go hours, even days, without thinking about Him.
Let’s remember David’s words about finding our satisfaction in Christ and Christ alone. Let that satisfaction drive us to meditate upon His goodness and His glory. May it be said of us that we “follow hard” after Him with our whole being. When was the last time you “followed hard” after anything? Think about that. When was the last time you clung to something more closely than you cling to your phone, possessions, or your children? Too often, I catch myself gliding through life instead of “following hard” after Him. That is not normal; that is anemic Christianity. You should always be growing in your knowledge of Him and in your witness to others about Him. Normal is to cling to God like a drowning man clings to a lifeguard who is rescuing him. If your relationship with God lacks that kind of zeal and fervor, then this very moment is the time to address it.
