We seem to live in a society (well, at least I do) where the “art� of yearning has been forgotten, if not lost. Well, there is ONE thing that we haven’t lost the longing—our need for convenience. However, that somehow seems oxymoronic. When we’re hungry, we have a multitude of eateries that we can choose from 24 hours 7 days a week. We don’t have to long for food. Just pull up to the drive-thru window and order. We don’t have to save money for something that we’ve dreamed of getting. All we have to do is pull out one of our dozen credit cards and bam! Charge it. We don’t dream, because we don’t have to. We get whatever we want with a swipe of our cards or just a click of our mouse. With this lost art of longing, however, I think we’re also losing grasp of doing our part in God’s provisions.
The Beatitudes tell us that it is the poor in spirit who are blessed with the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who mourn are blessed with comfort. The meek are blessed for they inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed with their fill. The merciful are blessed as they will be shown mercy. The pure in heart will be blessed by seeing God. The peacemakers are blessed by being called the sons of God and those who are persecuted because of righteousness will be blessed for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Each of those who are blessed, or provided for, has a spirit of longing and yearning in their hearts. God provides the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor in spirit because they do not take for granted their position, nor His, and they long for His provision. Unless we mourn and cry out for comfort, what is the need for God’s provision? The Bedouins long for rain. And because there is so little of it, they never take it for granted. When it is provided, they treasure it and take full advantage of the provisions. I think that that is one of the greatest ways that we can show our gratitude for God’s provisions—by our wise use of His resources and our continued longing for more in the future.
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