“After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with...

“At that time, saith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the LORD of hosts. Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I ...

Desiring God’s Presence

Take a moment to think about your desires in life. Make a mental list of all of the things you want to accomplish. Think about your top priorities and where you think you should spend your time.

Now, go back over your list and consider how many of your desires included spending time with God. Did any of your accomplishments require being in God’s presence?

The writer of Psalm 42 compares himself to a deer that is longing for water. The deer is weary and parched without it, and so all it wants is to find a stream to drink from.

In a similar way, the Psalmist is weary and exhausted from life. He is under pressure and growing tired. And yet, his innermost desire is for God. 

Just like the deer desires water, the psalmist’s soul desires the presence of God. He knows that the solution to his problems is not more accomplishments and praise—it’s spending time in the presence of God.

It’s not wrong to have desires and goals in life. But our foremost desire should be ...