
On a Mission Devotional
Isaiah 30:18
What are We Craving?
18 Therefore, the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
and therefore, He waits on high to have mercy on you;
for the Lord is a God of justice;
how blessed are all who long for Him.
(Isaiah 30:18 NASB)
· God longs to give us His grace and mercy.
· He waits patiently for us to turn to Him from the things we long for (see 2nd Peter 3:9).
· To long for or longing is to feel a strong desire or craving especially for something not likely to be attained (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).
· Other words that can mean the same as longing: yearn, crave, hunger, thirst.
· Long implies a wishing with one’s whole heart and often a striving to attain.
· What have we been longing for (craving, hungered for, thirsty for) what have we been desiring above Jesus and His Word?
· Matthew 5:6 tells us, “6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be filled” (MEV).
· In other words, blessed are those who crave, long, or desire God’s righteousness.
· God craves, hungers, thirsts, and desires to show us grace, mercy, and compassion.
Discussion
· Many of us at CRM have been chasing cravings and longings of things that take us from His righteousness.
· What cravings/longings/desires have we been chasing with negative results?
· What have been the consequences of those desires or cravings?
· What are some godly cravings we can pursue and develop in our lives?