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Sustain Longing

Jesus longs for us always and forever. Wouldn’t it make sense that He wants us to long for Him in return? To long means to have a strong desire for something or someone.

Not long ago a close friend and I did a retreat weekend together. We have done this once a year for ever so long. Our annual retreat helps us to go deep with God and each other. (See day ten of this plan for more on the importance of spiritual retreats.) One night as the presence of the Lord fell, we decided to lay aside all other plans to seek Him. I put on some quiet background music. My friend decided to lay quietly before the Lord on one side of the sectional, and I cuddled in a blanket on the other.

In the rising reverence and longing for more, I began to whisper words of longing to the Holy Spirit, “I need You. You are so kind, faithful Friend, I love You.” As I called to Him, His sweet presence began to awaken my spirit. When I sensed His pleasure in me, I ceased all prayer and simply enjoyed Him. As His weightiness receded, I began to express my love again until His presence filled me again. This longing expressed and longing fulfilled continued for about two hours. Even after I went to bed late that night, the giving and receiving of love continued into my sleep and dreams.

Up until this time, my experiences of this type lasted for a few minutes at most. I did not know that longing could be sustained over hours. Sustained longing has become one of the deepest, most delightful spiritual disciplines I have ever known.

Activate

· Choose a quiet place away from others and use music or silence as the backdrop.

· Begin by calling, yearning, leaning into, and deeply desiring God in your own way. Be yourself. He loves your unique way of speaking to Him.

· Activating your will, strength, and emotions, express your desire to be with Him right now. Ask Him to fellowship with you this moment. Use words of endearment. (Spoken words are best even if they are whispered.)

· Wait for the inner witness of His manifest presence. He doesn’t enter unnoticed. The rise of the Holy Spirit’s witness may feel like varying degrees of excitement, peace, joy, love, awe, or sweetness in your inner being.

· As He expresses Himself, cease all other activity and simply enjoy Him. The Lord is in His Holy temple—that’s you!

· As His manifest presence lifts or ebbs. Call again. Then enjoy Him again.

· Remember that this is a practical relationship, not a test: God’s thoughts towards us never drift. But despite our most sincere effort, our thoughts can flit from Him before we know what has happened. Be patient with yourself. If one moment you are with the Lord and the next you’re reviewing your to-do list, just return—no shame. He loves you.

· Sustained longing is a joyful activity, but it is also a spiritual discipline. Start small and build your endurance over time. Your spiritual attention will surely increase with practice.

You may enjoy the scriptures that follow in The Passion Translation (TPT).