Today’s scripture: Psalm 85 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Robert Ferguson):
I always share with my Oasis group that I sometimes miss that period of time when I first fell in love with Jesus. Like many of you perhaps, I was introduced to religion and church at a very young age. My mother and father took me to their home church before I was even able to walk and talk on my own. I now understand that my first concept of God was largely formed by what my mother believed. As a result, my concepts of sin, of good and bad were strongly influenced by my parents. Therefore, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that my first relationship with Jesus wasn’t really my relationship at all. It was my mother’s relationship, and through her I learned to love the Lord. But as I grew into young adulthood, I began to realize that my mother’s relationship with God and with the church did not actually fit me at all. I needed to find my own way and come to know the God of my own understanding, although I had no idea of what that concept was about and truthfully had no language to express such an idea. I just knew that God, as my mother had explained God to me, was very limiting and very serious and it seemed to me a little unforgiving!
Many years later, after traveling the world in the Navy and finding myself about one day’s work away from homelessness, I ended up falling back on something my mother taught me as a child: When you are in trouble, call on the name of the Lord and Jesus will hear you. I don’t know if I really believed that at the time. I was out there bad. I had done a lot of drugs and ran with a lot of the “wrong” kinds of people. I figured that any mess I was in I had pretty much gotten myself there. Why would God want to help somebody like that? But I remembered what my mother said and I had no one else to call on, and so I did that. I prayed for what felt like the first time in years. Over a period of time things began to change for me. Opportunities opened up, some life changing circumstances took place, and I found myself slowly getting back on my feet. It was also during this time of transition that I began to feel a tug on my heart to find a church home and to make a fresh start. This began a season in my life when I could not wait to get to church. I was baptized, started learning more about an intimate relationship with Jesus, and poured myself into trying to live a godly life. Sometimes I would be at church three or four times a week! I had my own relationship with the Lord, and I was in love! Everything in my life revolved around prayer and study and worship!
My pastor says that when you first fall in love with a person the euphoric, passionate, intense feeling you have is called limerance. That involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive obsessive and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors is most commonly referred to by me and you as falling in love. And for me that is exactly what it was like when I first knew Jesus for myself. I wanted more of him; I wanted to know all about him. But over time things began to change. I became comfortable in my relationship. I might go as far as to say, “I took the Lord for granted.”
As I was reading the scripture for today I was struck by the words, “Will you not revive us again?” I believe we all need a refreshing of God’s spirit. I want to constantly remind myself of the time when I could not make one move without first talking to the Lord about it. How can we get back to that place when we were brand new and thirsty for God? I want to go back there.
Thought for the day: Author Vance Havner has said, “Revival is falling in love with Jesus all over again.” My prayer is that we can all fall in love with Jesus all over again!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.