Our hearts are restless
God desires to have a close, loving relationship with us because He wants us to be completely full of all of the good things He has for us. And the very best gift God has to give is Himself.
To help draw us to Himself, He placed a desire deep within our hearts, a longing for love and acceptance. It is a place in our hearts no created thing can occupy or fill. It is a longing only our Creator can satisfy.
St. Augustine famously wrote, “You have made us for yourself [O Lord], and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
“You have made us for Yourself”
God truly did make us for Himself. And to help us find Him, He placed a desire within us to cause us to seek Him. It’s purpose is to cause us to search for Him and find Him. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Too often we look to satisfy this desire in every way possible except by being with Him. We try to satisfy this desire with good things and with bad. But it won’t work. It will never work.
Only one thing will truly and completely satisfy this longing. Psalm 73 puts it this way:
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
(Psalm 73:25-26)
Why not now?
The desire you are experiencing is real. Your heart is restless because something is missing. The thing that is missing is not another human relationship, or personal success, or fame, or nicer vacations. It is God. If you want a satisfied heart, you need to pursue an intimate relationship with God.
In a previous post we talked about how to begin spending time with Jesus. If you have not completed the steps listed in that post, why not stop and do it now? If you can’t do it now, put time on your calendar to do it. It’s the path you’ve been searching for, the path that will lead you to the contentment, satisfaction, and purpose in life you’ve so long desired.
It’s a path that will lead you into the arms of Jesus!