Our Appetite For God

The Fair Beauty of the Lord

Recently I finished watching Part One of the epic film Dune (directed by Denis Villeneuve) and was mesmerized by the undulating sand dunes on the planet Arrakis. It’s not a happy place though, where inhabitants have only their sweat and tears to drink to ward off dehydration and death. My mind jumped to the psalmists and their sojourn in the Judean Desert and their longing for the presence of God even in such an inhospitable place:

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water…Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live…for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy (Psalm 63).

What struck me in the psalmist’s petition was the combination of being in a ‘weary land’ and having a ‘weary heart’ which longs for God’s tender touch. The pilgrim expresses an insatiable thirst for the Divine Presence so much so that she cries out, “Your steadfast love (or loving-kindness in the KJV) is better than life!” My response sitting in my office in Toronto is, “Really? Do I actually long for God’s touch more than air to breathe, food to eat and my loved ones close?” The poet’s answer is clear: “Yes!”

How do I nurture that same great appetite for God who is both my Creator and Redeemer and not settle for the mundane (in my case a Tim’s steeped tea and plain donut!)? Okay then, questions to ponder:

What is my appetite for God? What do I really want? Do I want ‘it’ more than I want God? Does ‘the fair beauty of the Lord’ warm my heart?