Greedy is a strong word…I know. It didn’t sit well on some readers when I asked the question:
Is it ok to be greedy for God’s presence?
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I’m wondering if you will indulge me and explore this word greedy as we cultivate the desire for more and more of God’s presence. As we RISE UP! and build a foundation of faith that is unwavering to make Jesus famous, a constant soaking in His presence is absolutely required. I like to use strong words, so “greedy” stood out to me. We see in the Psalms that David craved more and more of God’s presence, too. Could we say he was greedy? Maybe…
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord. {Psalm 27:4-6}
Let’s take a moment to pull out some action items that David proclaimed in the Psalm. I’ve highlighted them in bold––but the words themselves are pretty bold. Below I’m proposing how we, too, can boldly proclaim these words in our quest for more of God’s presence…being greedy.
Ask (Seek): All we have to do is ASK God for a passionate desire for more of His goodness–His presence.
Dwell (ALL the days of my life): David didn’t proclaim that he would spend time with God whenever it was convenient. No, David proclaimed that he would dwell in God’s presence ALL the days of His life. This speaks greedy to me…
Gaze (on His beauty): Admire Jesus, thank Him, adore Him. Soak in His glory. Look for His beauty all around you. Be obsessed with finding Him in everyday events.
Seek: Take action through the day to seek Him…even in the mundane.
Sacrifice (of thanksgiving and praise): Even when we don’t feel like it, to be greedy for more of God’s presence is to praise Him anyway, knowing that He deserves ALL of our thanksgiving and worship.
I think David gives us plenty of reasons to be greedy for more and more of God. This should be our one focus EVERY day. When we place our eyes on Him, the world falls into place. We have direction on making tough decisions. We know that all things work together for good. We know where our purpose stands. We know WHO is in charge.
This only happens when we stand constantly and consistently in His presence.
Can’t wait to hear what you think! Leave a comment…
I never thought of it that way. We’re taught that greed is a bad thing, but I guess there’s always an exception.
This is absolutely amazing and right where I’m at, Sarah! Greedy, wanting more and more of Him every single day and wanting to share that with others …wanting to scream everywhere I go- “TASTE and SEE that the LORD IS GOOD!” Wanting to say to the world…just stop for one moment and let God’s love capture your heart because you will never be the same again…you won’t need that thing (whatever it is) anymore because there is a God who loves you more than you can fathom- He created you!! haha I have a lot of thoughts right now…so glad you wrote this blog..I’m following all of your posts about this..I’m with you!! :)
I love your thoughts and using strong words to hunger and thirst for more God in our lives, to dwell. I love the word dwell, to just be in his presence.
When I think of greedy I think of my sister devouring all the apple crisp before the rest of us got a chance when I was a kid. Luckily (unlike my Mom’s apple crisp) there is unlimited God to go around.
Sarah, I love how you broke the verse down, verb by verb. Haven’t tackled a Bible study that way, and I think I’ll have to try it sometime soon! Amen to all of it, and to this especially: “When we place our eyes on Him, the world falls into place.” Praise God for how He works in everything.