Truth Matters: Communion with God

By Ken Askew

A PSALM OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDAH. O God, you are my God; earnestly 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.  ESV Psalm 63:1

(Continuing with our summary from last week, I want to look at the first of “Four Essentials for Finishing Well” that I picked up from Jerry Bridges at a conference.)

Many of you know that I love to hike in the Sipsey Wilderness area of the Bankhead Forest.  And those of you who enjoy the same know what I mean when I say that sometimes you have to pause and “get your bearings.”  Meaning of course, that you wish to give some thought as to where you are and what path to take next in order to reach your destination.  Many times I find myself using a map, compass, or both to help me get there.

Now, I’ve never navigated on the open water, but I’m told that an instrument called a sextant is used to take angular measurements of celestial objects in relation to the horizon to determine the position of a vessel in open waters.  Having determined the ship’s position, the captain can plot and/or adjust course in order to reach a particular destination.

Funny thing about the forest, sometimes all the trails and trees begin to look alike.  The shadows are different in the evening than in the morning; rain and wind change the trail during the day; one hill begins to look like another.  Did I pass here before?  What was that sound?  Do I turn to the left or to the right?  You get the picture…  Questions like these make you glad you have a map and compass to keep you on the proper path.

Navigating open water must be even more challenging.  The wind and currents are constantly altering a ship’s course; even if only slightly. It’s this constant drift from course that requires that the captain confirm his position using the sextant and map.  Knowing his current position, the captain can adjust his headings accordingly to stay on course.

The Christian life is similar in many ways.  The Bible is plain enough on most things and it is the completely trustworthy rule and guide of our faith.  But the pressures of this world are constantly at work to push us off course or onto the wrong path.  Left unchecked, those pressures will silently and evermore progressively steer our lives off course.  Gradually we begin to succumb to questions like “Did God really say…?”  When we allow those questions to take hold, we find ourselves going down the wrong path.

And that is precisely why we need a daily, focused time of communion with God; so that we make choices pleasing to God and in accord with His word.  To David, daily communion with God was necessary and was to be desired like life-sustaining daily portions water in the hot desert.  Do you have a thirst for God?