Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Sent: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:05:49 -0500
To: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Subject: Morning Manna Apr. 16-BP: Is. 64; RBTTY: Lk. 13:23-35; I Sam. 30-31
April 16 “On Getting A Hold Of God”
“And there is none that calls upon Your Name, that stirs up himself to take hold of You. . .”
Isaiah 64:7a
He may at times seem elusive, but He’s always elated when we feel like we can’t live without Him.
Have you ever been so “love-struck” that you couldn’t get that special person off your mind? Were there times you were so captivated by him/her that you got goose-bumps when he/she was near or when you found their letter in the mail? And, did you ever miss him/her so much that your heart literally ached to hear his/her voice or found it hard to sleep at night?
If so, you’ve caught a tiny glimpse of what Isaiah likely meant in today’s Manna about “stirring ourselves up to take hold of God.” The Hebrew word “chazaq” is used here for “take hold of” and also means “to seize, bind, restrain, constrain, fasten to, etc.” Thus, it’s more than a casual touch or simply being near; it’s “getting a hold of and not letting go!” (Gen. 32:24-26).
Can you picture that, Pilgrim?
It’s like a child in a crowded room of strangers, who clings to his mother’s leg like glue or cries until she clutches him tightly in her arms. Or, it’s the picture of a man who’s fallen over the side of a cliff and is holding on for dear life onto a branch or root that juts out from the hillside.
What prompts such intense, urgent, overt behavior?
Quite simply “a sense of desperation.”
When Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Mt. 5:6a), He wasn’t talking about a mid-afternoon hunger pang where we want a snack. A thousand times no! He was talking about someone who’s not eaten or drank for several days. . .who’s grown weak from the deprivation. . .and realizes that he must find nourishment soon or he will die.
Have we ever been that desperate for Him, Pilgrim?
Have we ever wanted something from Him so badly that it’s all we thought about? Even more, have we ever wanted HIM so badly. . .to “KNOW HIM and the power of His Resurrection” (Phil. 3:10a). . .that we literally pined for Him?
Sadly, too few of us have.
But, that’s what it’s going to take for Him to “rend the heavens and cause the mountains to melt into the sea” (vv.1-2). Likewise, only “Divine desperation”—that moves us to “prayer and fasting” (Mt. 17:21)—catches the heart of God and moves Him “to incline His ear toward us and grant the desires of our heart” (Ps. 37:4; 40:1).
Are you “all stirred up and ready to call on His Name”? Are you ready to do what it takes to see the Lord move in a mighty way in your life, home, church, this nation, etc.? If so, start now by praying, “Here I am, Lord; use me as You see fit. I’m Yours.”
Thanks,
Mr. Lynn M. Smith
Department Business Administrator
Department of Economics
204C McElhinney Hall
(713) 743-3802 (office)
(713) 743-3798 (fax)
LSmith20@central.uh.edu (email)
http://www.class.uh.edu/econ/ (department website)
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