[Songs of Praise] Do You Desire LifeSample

How Will You Respond?

Do you desire life? David has given us the model to obtain it. We can start by blessing God (praising, seeking, and trusting Him). We can walk in the fear of the Lord by placing our faith in Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. If we have a positive response to Him, we can look for God to respond and bless us, because we are the righteous and the redeemed.

There once lived a doctor by the name of Doc Gibbs. He had two passions in life. His first passion was saving lives. He loved being a doctor; His second passion was trees. He loved trees. He had a ten-acre plot outside of town, and he began, early in his career, to plant trees in order to create a forest of strong trees. But Doc Gibbs had a peculiar view of tree husbandry. He did not believe in watering very often. He thought that by overwatering, you would create wimpy roots. People would ask him, “Why don’t you water?” And he would say, “Well, if I water too much, then the trees won’t dig deeply to find water. The roots will just remain on the surface. The trees will have shallow roots.” So, he never watered his trees.

Doc Gibbs passed away a few years ago. When you walk past his house you see the biggest trees in town. They are healthy, robust, strong as granite. Adversity and deprivation benefited them by developing a strong root system. Their roots grew so deep that they survived any storm, any cold wind, any harsh winter that came their way. They were full of life.

What God desires in us is strong, deep roots going to the source of life in Him. Therefore, He often throws difficulties at us. When we bless Him and walk in reverence, He develops deep roots in us, ones that can withstand any storm. In the times when we need to tap deeper into Him, God goes deeper with us.

Do you desire life? Bless the Lord, praise Him, seek Him, trust Him, and then look for His response. You are the righteous, the redeemed, the one who responds to Him. The Lord redeems the souls of His servants. None of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Lord, thank you that when I need to dig deeper, You meet me and make my roots deep and strong. Help me overcome every storm that comes my way.

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