“Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” (Isaiah 26:8-10 KJV)
Have you ever gone to one of those web sites that show a map of annual lightning strikes worldwide? I know noaa.gov and weather.gov have a few good ones. Learning how lightning strikes is a fascinating study. Did you know that most of what we see as the lightning bolt is the return stroke beginning at the ground and coming back to the cloud? It is interesting to consider why some places are more or less likely to be struck by lightning by evaluating them in terms of how atmospheric electricity works. We have much the same curiosity when reflecting on why some learn the righteousness of the Lord compared with why others, even when His favor is present, do not seem to recognize it. The common element being that there is often a common grounding point that enables the return stroke. Perhaps also like a military target which is laser painted to increase the accuracy of an incoming air delivered missile strike. There is something highlighted on the ground that has a direct effect on an enormous energy release from above.
The desires in our prayer and praises release much in Heaven to assist on Earth. Our desires for self shut down the channels and paint our own selves as targets for an enemy who is looking for a now defenseless people for dinner. If love can be defined in terms of giving of oneself for another, then it is no wonder why the enemy would detest it even though he may not understand it. Not only have you shrunk an otherwise plump and appetizing dinner, but you draw from an energy source so overwhelmingly powerful that the enemy cannot deal with it. Of course, one of the Christian’s biggest problems is to quickly confuse the power in surrendering to Jesus with a power they attempt to usurp. What does our heart, soul, strength, and mind long for? What do our desires really want? Remember where it is that our help comes from. Remember who it is that is our daily source. In whom are we grounded?
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2 KJV)