Chasing the Beautiful God

Lovesick By Misty Edwards – Purchase here

Misty Edwards sings this song called Lovesick. Its lyrics go like this: …happy am I to live a hungry life, blessed am I to thirst, disillusionment It is my gift within, I am blessed among men…All the other Lovers fade away, only You can satisfy…This is the generation that’s tried everything, This is the generation of Jacob, This is the generation that’s done all those things, But only You can satisfy…This is the generation, Looking for the face of God… Only You can satisfy.

This song captures so beautifully what is happening to my generation. The Holy Spirit is awakening longing. He’s awakening the deep-heart cry: “There must be more to life than this!”

When this cry begins to come to the surface of a person’s conscious they usually take one of two options. Either they begin to drown out these longings by distraction/suppression or seek out satisfaction for the ache in other things – relationships, money, worldly-success (or projected worldly success). Often they do a combination of both.

I know that I do this in my own life. If I am still for long enough a deep hunger, ache and loneliness wells up on the inside of me. That ache feels like I’m all alone in the world, I’m insignificant and unknown. So I fill my life with socializing to feel like I’m important and busyness so I don’t have to face the pain. Yet I know the ache remains.

But the Lord is teaching me that there exists a third option in contrast to suppression and/or distraction.

In Matthew 5:3, 4 and 6 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit (definition: understanding that you are in lack spiritually)…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are those who hunger and thirst.” That seems so contrary to our modern western way of thinking and living. We think life should be like this: ‘Blessed are those who are satisfied, blessed are those who are happy and blessed are those who are full.’

Each of these verses (5:3, 4 and 6) end with the resulting blessing: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…for they shall be comforted…for they shall be filled. Jesus is getting at something here and here’s what I think it is: the road to the fullness of life (John 10:10) that Jesus offers is found through the journey  of hunger, dissatisfaction, longing and desire. That’s a scary proposition for most of us. I don’t want to face that lonely ache in my heart and when I do I don’t know what to do with it.

But here’s what I’m learning. In the moment of the ache, I turn my heart in worship and adoration to God. I am beginning to learn to turn my longing into a longing for God and His intervention in my life through worship and this simple phrase repeated over and over again, ‘I love you Jesus. I trust you Father.’ In this place, God begins to come and satisfy and heal my aching heart with the revelation of Himself. This is the Psalm 34:7 reality – “Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

In our hour of history, the Lord is awakening deep longings and desires in the hearts of His people. He’s doing this because He wants us to know how much He longs for us.

There is a God-shaped hole in your heart because He has allowed there to be a You-shaped hole in His. When you awaken to your longing, next He will awaken you to His. The key to having your heart filled is to know that you know that you know that He longs for you. And when this awakening takes place all across the church then a lovesick cry will arise from the earth like nothing ever heard before: Come, Lord Jesus come!

J. Ratcliffe