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The sun sets palely over flat water while fireflies dance at dusk’s invitation.

I stare at the horizon with a heavy heart, a dozen longings pounding against my chest. I recognize the familiar longing for deep friendship, the longing for success in my career, the longing for God to relocate us to a home on a quiet lake somewhere, and the longing to feel heard and appreciated in the ministries in which I serve. Amidst all these longings, I identify something deeper—a longing to fulfill something that feels empty and lacking in the deepest part of my soul.

I flip my Bible open to the book of Isaiah, and God’s Word comes alive in the fading daylight. My deep longing feels something like thirst, and I know this is the answer to my plight. Jesus is calling me to come to the living water of His refreshing presence. He is calling me to bring all my longings to Him … to let Him speak truth into every part of my life. 

I imagine myself lifting my longings before the Lord, gazing into the pale sunset and thinking of His holy throne. As I surrender my longings, I sense a subtle shift. I’m content to wait for the fulfillment of my longings and to lay them at the feet of Jesus and wait. I sense the freedom to cease from striving. I am left with only one longing: the longing to draw close to His heart. 

Jesus calls us to bring our longings to Him so He can transform the desires that do not match His, reveal the deepest longings of our hearts, and fill us with His living water. He invites us to find a quiet place and seek His face so He can fill us with living water.

Think of the areas in your life in which you are striving. Surrender them to Jesus and let Him fill you. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)