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 2^nd 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?