You’re all I want, all I need, you’re everything.

I’m currently reading the book ‘The Pursuit of God’ by A.W. Tozer.  The kindle version is free right now on Amazon.  It’a short book, but wow, it takes me into deep waters with God and my walk with Him.  I came across his prayer at the end of section IV of the book and here’s what he writes:  “O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things.  Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good.  Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been.”  I mean, wow.  I love that.

I’m also reading a book by John Eldredge called ‘Walking with God’ and the chapters I just read are about unmet longings and things that God withholds (pages 181-188)… which for me, just brings my heart right back to being totally filled up by God.  There are plenty of things here on earth that I long for, that I desire – but I know (even though I may not always ‘feel it’) that nothing will ever truly satisfy me the way that God can – and ultimately, I will never truly be satisfied or ‘full’ until I am with the Lord.  We weren’t meant to feel satisfied here.  This world was never meant to truly fill us up.  It can’t.  No thing or person will ever be able to meet those deep desires in my heart.  And so… what do I do with these longings, these desires?  I’m tempted to ignore them.  To sweep them under the carpet.  To even numb these parts of my heart so that I just don’t feel anymore.  But I love what Eldredge says on page 188

“But to send your heart into exile because your longings have no hope of being met is also to exile your heart from the love of God.  And he would have your whole heart.  It’s hard to tell whether God is arousing some desire so that you may seek a new life or simply so that this part of your heart may be made whole in him.  But whatever else may be the case, you have to begin by giving this part of your heart back to God.  Above all else, your heart must find a safe home in him.”

I find that these two themes go together.  Desires & unmet longings remind me that earthly things cannot satisfy me and this gives me a continual opportunity to fix my eyes on what will truly fulfill me:  God and heaven.  This all reminded me of a few songs that I love that help my heart to connect and also a few scriptures – all below.

Luke 10:27  “He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’…”

1 Peter 2:2-3   “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 

Psalm 42:1-2  “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?”

Genesis 15:1 “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:  “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.”

DID YOU READ THAT LAST SCRIPTURE?  Read it again, out loud. GOD IS YOUR VERY GREAT REWARD.  Just God.  How do you feel about that?  Think about your deepest desires, the things that you long for… I know for me God can often come second or third to other desires I have.  But – only he can truly satisfy the longings and desires of my heart.  God is the reward.  Not anything else in this life.  Not money, not your job, not your family, or your children, or your spouse, or love, or your house, or success, or happiness or whatever else you want to fill in the blank… what are you chasing after?  Pray that it will be God.  Pray that He will become your great reward.  Pray to know Him deeper and to fall in love with Him so that all those scriptures above can be true for you as you read them.  He wants to answer prayers like that.  He longs for us to be filled up with Him, and Him alone.

And I’ll close out with one of my favorite songs by Lifehouse, ‘Everything’.  I love the lyrics.  And I love this video of a drama acted out to this song – I get emotional every time I watch it and I’ve seen it A LOT.  But it reminds me of how easily my heart can be pulled away by things here on earth… things that I can see.  It challenges me to the core that I continue to taste that the Lord is good and to seek to be filled up by him and him alone.

Here are the lyrics to the song ‘Everything’ by Lifehouse:

Find me here, and speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that’s leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You’re everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won’t let me fall
You steal my heart and you take my breath away
Would you take me in, take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this

Cause you’re all I want, you’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want
You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want
You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want
You’re all I need
Everything, everything

And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better-any better than this
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this