I will never understand how most Christians I meet are not desperate for God. If we are determined to devote our lives to Jesus, our daily obsession must be learning more about Him. My constant frustration is not having more time to spend in His presence, praying and studying His Word. If Jesus isn’t the most important thing in your life, what is?
Who or what else is worth more than Jesus? For many, their proclamation of Jesus as Lord is a joke. Outside of showing up for church on Sundays, you’d never know they knew Jesus at all. Too often, that person is us. Are you desperate for God or a Christian in name only?
When we are desperate for God, we will seek Him in every moment. The responsibilities of life make this more than challenging. Work and family duties leave most of us with little margin. How do we seek God when it feels as if we don’t even have time to breathe? I think it’s in the little choices we make. What music are we filling our ears with as we go throughout our day? Do we spend our commute listening to news and novels or feeding our souls with solid preaching and teaching? What entertainment is streaming through our televisions and phones? In countless ways, we are choosing something other than Jesus to fill in the spare moments of our lives. We aren’t desperate for God, we’re desperate for earthly pleasures.
One of the most difficult but rewarding disciplines I ever developed was getting up a couple of hours before the rest of my household. Those early morning hours allow me to bask in God’s presence and always seem to end too soon. This is something almost every one of us can do. Yes, it will require changing our nighttime activities and going to bed earlier. Habits are hard to change, and fatigue is a challenge. But we will prioritize what is most important to us. If your circumstances are such that getting up before everyone else is truly not possible, find the time of day that works for you. The magic isn’t in the time, but in the commitment to be with our Lord.
If you aren’t desperate for God, I’m not sure you understand who it is you claim to worship. Jesus isn’t one more thing we add to our multifaceted lives. He is the majestic, all-mighty, all-powerful Creator of all things (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 8:1). He is the One who sustains all life (Revelation 4:11). Your next breath is in His hands, and in His hands alone. In the history of life, He alone is holy. This Jesus, whom we so willingly ignore, is the same One who willingly gave His life so we might live. His love knows no bounds and is unconditional. How can you not desire to know Him more?
To me, being desperate for God means we would rather spend time with Him than anyone else. When we are desperate for Him, we will arrange our schedules around Him. Perhaps it would be easier to look at what not being desperate for God looks like. If you aren’t desperate for God, you will rarely pick up His Word. Prayer will happen only when you need something. You will think of God (maybe) on Sunday mornings, but probably not again that week. And your life will look no different from anyone else’s. Jesus didn’t die so you could experience your best life now, but so you would have life to the full in eternity with Him (John 10:9-10). How desperate are you to know our great God?