Today is the first day of our countdown to the release of The 30 Day Praise Challenge. Throughout the month, I’ll be writing brief thoughts on praise. And because I’m in the mood to party, every day Monday –Friday, I’ll be giving away prizes. In order to win a prize you must leave a comment. Each day I’ll pull a name from the comments and that person will win a prize. Today’s prize is a $10.00 I-Tunes gift card!!
So here’s my thought today. God gave us praise to fill a longing in our hearts. We were created with the desire to adore something or someone. The sons of Korah who wrote Psalm 84 describe a longing so deep and intense that it feels as though they will pass out if that yearning is not met. Psalm 84:1 -2 reads, “My soul yearns, even faints for he courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” I like to call this longing the divine ache. The Divine ache is a deep seated loneliness that only God can fill.
In our lives, one reason for soul weariness is that rather than embracing the divine ache, we run from it or, try to fill it with other things. The other things can even be good things; spouse or significant other, family, friends, ministry, job, or, humanitarian efforts. Instead of running from the divine ache – why not embrace it?
In your opinion, what do you think it means to “embrace” your ache for God? Leave a comment and I’ll enter your name into the drawing to win an I-Tunes gift card. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning, so be sure to check back!
9 Responses
Erica Corbett
I think to embrace the Divine Ache is to totally submerge yourself in a relationship with the Lord that isn’t one sided! Not just in prayer, reading the word, and listening to praise and worship! Those are awesome things but to really talk to the Lord and the most important part is to take time to listen and when you do that you won’t want to do anything else but be right next to Him!
Meagan McCready
I love how you put that, “embrace your ache”. We all have God-shaped holes within us. I think it means living our lives in a way that not only recognizes our divine need for God, but also takes joy in having our savior fill the most desperate needs of our hearts. We live in world that tells us discomfort of any kind is a bad thing, but this “ache” is what continually brings us back to Jesus. He truly is the only one who can fill it!
Mr Bob
To me “embracing the ache for God” means not ignoring the longing within me for his perfect peace and abundant grace to live moment by moment. Last week I had some property stolen from me and I admit I was very angry. It was a lot of money and money represents hard work. But I remind myself how blessed I am beyond what I could have ever imagined and that his grace is all I need. It drives me to praise HIM in all things. I am no Job, I don’t know what I would do if I had to endure what he did but I know my Redeemer lives and halleluia He even lives within me. Jesus is all I need.
Mr Bob
did not mean to post twice, looked like the first one dissapeared so I wrote another! 🙂
Mary Aschfort
Becky, I will forever remember your teaching on Praise… praising through the alphabet A-Z whenever life gets hard or we can’t think of one thing to be thankful for. A= I Adore Him, B=Becky Harling, the one who taught me to Praise through the alphabet!. Sending love and blessing to you, Mary
Juli Hallada
To me that Divine ache is when I want to full out run to my Savior with outstretched arms, surrending myself completely to him. It is an ache that runs deep and wide and I can’t help but throw my entire self at His feet.
Jessica
To me, embracing the “divine ache” means I choose to stop wrestling with God; instead I choose to hide in Him. He is my shelter, comfort, and redeemer.
Susan Washabaugh
We usually don’t embrace the divine ache until we experience something that requires us to totally depend on Him. Without faith, life will be hard. With faith, life will be hard, but we can always look to Him and have hope that He is in control. So relinquishing control and knowing we depend on Him is embracing the divine ache.
Deb Warren
Praising my Lord and a good cup of coffee make every day a good day. I’m excited to read your newest book Becky when I’m back from vacation 🙂 I know I’ve filled that “divine ache” in a few wrong ways over my lifetime, but on the right pat now with the Lord of my heart and days…