Psalm 119:81 – Longing

My soul is wiped out with longing for your salvation.
I put my hope in your word.

As I read this I was reminded of the time our son James had just had surgery and was in the intensive care unit. I had a commitment to teach the next session in a series on prophecy two and a half hours drive away. The pastor who was my host told me he would understand if I couldn’t make it, but he wasn’t going to uninvite me. It was James who gave the final word, calling me over to whisper, “Go!”

That was a hard drive. I played one song multiple times, very loud: “Singing with the Saints. I had a recording by a Hungarian group from the area where Jody and I had led mission trips a few years before. Between listening to that song, I thought of another that goes, “I’m homesick for heaven, seems I cannot wait.” It had always been just a song to me, and not a very important one. I didn’t connect with it.

Suddenly I did. The longing was so strong it was painful. But it was also hopeful.

But this verse is not just talking about the next world, as important as that is. It’s focused on God coming to us here and now. I feel this longing from day to day when I see my wife or my sister in pain, and hear about other friends who are ill, grieving, suffering. I long for the touch of God for each and every one. And frequently, I see things happen.

But there’s another longing for God’s salvation, and that’s for coming into relationship with God and allowing God’s grace to work in my life, and in the lives of those I meet.

God’s salvation encompasses everything.

What are you longing for today?

(Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)