1. Everyone Has Longings
Deep in the heart of every person there are longings, even if the person never speaks of them. For example, longings after God, longings for peace, longings for friendship and understanding, longings for one’s own health or the health of loved ones, longings for family, longings for close relationships, longings to see someone… There are many longings, and for the most part, as Proverbs 14:10 says, “The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.” Longings are something we seldom share with someone else. They are often sacred, known only to that person and God.
2. Longings Can Make Us Reach Out To God and Seek Him
Without longings we wouldn’t even seek after God in the first place. We would be too satisfied with ourselves. We wouldn’t even feel the need for Him. Longings can draw us closer to Him and make us reach out to Him, cry out to Him, to reach out beyond ourselves and seek His help. We would be lost if He did not place longings in us for peace, rest, purity of heart, salvation, and so on. As another friend of mine shared, “Sometimes longings push us to go to The Rock that is higher than we are.”
3. Longings Can Make Us More Tender and Loving
As with trials and other difficulties in life, longings will either harden or soften us. The choice is ours. Will we allow God to use longings to mold us as He wants or will we become bitter and fight against God?
4. Longings Can Make Us Reach Out To Others
The pain of longings can make us notice the longings and tears of others. It also helps us to understand people and their longings and reach out to them. We are propelled, as it were, to comfort others with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Corinthians 1:4).
5. Longings Can Make Us Reachable
While longings can make us reach out to others, they can also make us reachable. If we didn’t have any longings, we would become calloused. We would be very hard to reach. When we have longings, we are much more tender and reachable. A gently spoken word, a smile, a hug, or a song might mean much more to a longing heart than the same thing would to a self-satisfied heart. If you have longings, you are more apt to notice the little ways God is reaching out to you and showing you His love. Even through your longings He is trying to show you how much He truly loves you. Are you noticing?
6. Longings Can Be Good
You may not believe this. It took time for me to believe it. But I’m so thankful that God has helped me to learn that longings are good. He allows us to have longings. He has created us with longings. Painful? Yes, longings can be very painful. But nothing good is accomplished without sacrifice. This reminds me of a beautiful hymn written by Frances R. Havergal.
Light after darkness, gain after loss,
Strength after weakness, crown after cross;
Sweet after bitter, hope after fears,
Home after wandering, praise after tears.
Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain,
Sight after mystery, peace after pain;
Joy after sorrow, calm after blast,
Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last.
Near after distant, gleam after gloom,
Love after loneliness, life after tomb;
After long agony rapture of bliss—
Right was the pathway leading to this.
7. What Are We To Do With Longings?
I had a heart-to-heart talk with my father a while ago. I told him about my fierce struggles with longings. I told him I was trying to squash my longings, but that it wasn’t helping. He answered, “It doesn’t help to squash them. The only thing that will help is surrender.” I took that to heart, and after a long walk
and talk with God, I found peace again in surrender.
Dear longing heart, as a friend of mine said, “What is more beautiful than to share the longings of our hearts with The One who made our hearts?” He wants to hear about our longings, our fears, our sorrows, as well as our joys, our thanksgivings, and our rejoicings. Don’t be afraid to share with Him! He is a loving Father who is waiting for us to reach out to Him, to speak to Him, to ask Him, and to draw close to Him.
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in
a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” Psalm 63:1
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for
the living God.” Psalm 84:2
“As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1
Agape
Guest Writer, Diamonds Staff
