Day Twenty-Five
Followers of Jesus live within an interesting tension when it comes to the subject of contentedness. On one hand, we live in the place of contentment that comes from knowing God and resting in that relationship, assured that he is sufficient for every need: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1, NKJV) God has given us everything we need for our life and our spiritual growth (2 Peter 1:3), and knowing that is a place of deep peace and gladness.
But there is also a very real sense in which we are never fully content, because there is always a deeper place to go in our relationship with God. The Apostle Paul called the riches of a relationship with Christ “unfathomable,” (Ephesians 3:8), and in his second letter Peter called disciples to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18, NIV).
As we live in that tension, there are two simple prayers that can express both our contentment and our hunger:
“Thank you, Lord.”
and
“Take me deeper, Lord.”
We express to God the gratitude that comes from knowing we have been reconciled to him, that our sins are forgiven, and that he has called us to himself and graced us with every good and perfect gift. And we also express our desire to know him more fully, to love him more deeply, and to be shaped more and more into the image of Jesus.
Thank you, Lord…take me deeper., Lord.
Language like “deeper” and “unfathomable” calls to mind an ocean that is vast and inviting…and we are standing in the shallows, listening to the voice that calls us more and more into its mystery and majesty. It also calls to mind the words of Jesus in John 7: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38, ESV) The image of this “living water” is a continuous stream, illustrating the Spirit’s ongoing work of revelation and transformation in our lives. We are invited to the river to drink deep and find all that our souls need in the inexhaustible love of God. In this life, we can never plumb its depths completely. We can only respond with a surrendered life and a trusting heart.
As we make our way to Jerusalem with Jesus, it is a good time to be reminded that he is always calling to us, always willing to show us more and more of his love and his desires for our life. We can rest content in the knowledge that we are deeply loved, and we can open ourselves more fully to its unfathomable depths.
Thank you, Lord…take me deeper, Lord.
All I want is living water
Take me deeper, take me
All I want is living water
Take me deeper, take me
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection:
1) Spend some time meditating on these verses from Scripture that speak of the sufficiency of God and the contentment that comes from knowing him. As you read and pray, offer to God words of gratitude, your “Thank you, Lord.”
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”—2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV)
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”—John 10:14-15 (NIV)
“A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right.”—Psalm 84:10-11 (NLT
2) Spend some time meditating on these verses from Scripture that speak of our call deeper into the heart of God. As you read and pray, offer to God words of surrender, your “Take me deeper, Lord.”
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”—Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”—2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
“As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.”—Psalm 42:1-2a (NRSV)
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith invChrist—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”—Philippians 3:7-11
3) The song for today recalls three people who encountered Jesus, and how those encounters changed their lives. Imagine Jesus has come to you, and like he said to the blind man in Mark 10, he looks at you and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” How would you respond? What is the cry of your heart as you reflect on your relationship with Christ?
4) Read and reflect on this verse. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth.”—Hosea 6:3 (ESV)