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Discussion Forum : General Topics : Have I lost the longing?

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 Have I lost the longing?

Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for you, I God.

My soul, thirst for God,
for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God.

I was watching a video of a group from IHOP singing My Soul Longs for You. As I saw the young adults worshipping and and pleading as it were for God's presence. I thought of Psalm 42:1-2. The simple cry of the psalmist thristing for His God.

My question is have I lost that thirst, that longing for God Himself.

These young adults can surely teach me something about the longing for Jesus

Blaine

 2014/7/16 13:53
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re: Have I lost the longing?

Many question these "immersive" worship experiences like at IHOP.

I do not because I believe that these people are truly seeking and are hungry for The Lord. Very few churches offer the opportunity for such worship.

I used to attend a night of worship that was held once a month at an AOG church and it was truly a wonderful time. Sometimes it would go on for several hours as the Spirit led.

We were created to worship and to the extent we do not do so, we will feel that inner hunger pang for God's presence.


_________________
Todd

 2014/7/16 14:11Profile









 Re:

Amen brother. I agree.

Blaine

 2014/7/16 14:19
Renoncer
Member



Joined: 2010/6/26
Posts: 483


 Re:

Good evening, Blaine.

I haven't been on this website for some time, but I was glad to see your posting today.

To be honest, this is a question that has been haunting me for some time. It is one thing to be the recipient of God's appointed means of grace (hearing the Word preached, congregating with the local church, etc.), but it is another thing to let the Holy Spirit direct our activities. Perhaps we need a little bit of both, in their rightful time.

May God be pleased to move among us, as we place ourselves under the care of His appointed officers, and serve in the midst of His living organism, also known as the church.

Blessings,
Pierre

 2014/7/16 22:03Profile
Sidewalk
Member



Joined: 2011/11/11
Posts: 719
San Diego

 Re: experiencing the longing

There are times in the church when someone dips into the essence of genuine worship, when a meeting place is filled with sweet music that lifts one's heart, spirit, and soul into the presence of God.

Sometimes it is under the leadership of someone who understands the path from lively corporate praise that pulls your thoughts from the entanglements of the day into a focused direction toward the Father, to the softening, the mellowing of music that transitions from a corporate "We lift our hearts in praise" to "I worship you alone!"

It is the "we" who have parked our cars, attended to our children's lost Sunday School folder, greeted Brian and Denise, congratulated Eddie on his new job, consoled Mrs. Jenkins whose husband passed last week, and found a seat several rows from the front.

These and other thoughts are filling our minds right now, but we didn't come here to continue in them. The music begins. Where will it take us?

Hopefully it will acknowledge briefly that I have come here with many others, and rousing praise is a great way to start the movement. But the goal is not to blend a lot of voices in time with the beat or even the melody. The music is like water in the river, enabling the traffic to easily move to a destination. The goal is the presence of God, and that presence illumines all that needs to be seen, both the sins of the heart and its longings.

So the music should help me get there. Sweet music with lyrics that suggest the conversation between just me and my Savior, individually, hearing His Spirit in my spirit. "Unto Thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul..."


When I think of the longing, I am drawn to remember when music did that for me, and I loved it. It was true worship, designed to help me come to God.


I hope you also have had some experience with that, I am sure many have not. I have heard modern "worship" music, and I can only shudder with grief. Not all music in church is born in the crucible of the Cross, but when you find some that is, drink freely and let Him work!


_________________
Tom Cameron

 2014/7/17 0:25Profile





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