There are a number of times in following Jesus where requests are made for us.
Not individual requests – collective requests. What we want the Lord to do for us. What we want the Lord to do to us. What we want the Lord to do through us.
When Solomon was dedicating the temple, he spoke a blessing to those who witnessed the grand opening. Among the blessings and requests, he said this,
The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. (1 Kings 8:57-58 ESV)
Consider that – Solomon desired the presence of God to be with them so that their hearts would be inclined to Him. A lot of the time we want God’s presence to do things for us, but I wonder how we desire His presence so that our hearts will be inclined to Him? I love that sentiment. His presence so we can be attracted to Him, our desire will be for Him, our tendency with be God-ward.
Obeying Him is not a chore or out of a sense of impersonal obligation. Obedience is an expression of the heart inclined to Him. That’s not an individual experience, that’s a communal reality. We seek His presence and see that He longs to dwell among us and has given His Spirit to be in us. And that is enough for us to be sure that life in the Spirit is the way for us to live with our hearts inclined to Him.
What a desire. What a sentiment. As our minds are renewed, so we long to see this realised. Not just for me, but for us.
So let it be.
(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 