September 2016 - Praying for Women in Bulgaira, Croatia, Greece, and Slovakia
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Psalm 84:1-2
This month I have been reading Psalm 84. It is a psalm that brings healing to my heart when my soul needs hope and healing. I love the fact that this particular psalm describes a journey of hope.
It is a real journey written at a good time for Israel; perhaps when King Solomon was the ruler. Every year many people traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. They made the journey from all over Israel to the holy city to worship at the Temple.
When we read Psalm 84, we get a look into the heart of one of the those who traveled to Jerusalem to worship.
I think about how his heart longed to be in the presence of God. I have been asking myself, “How much do I long to be in the presence of God? What will I do to make sure I have time with God every day?”
This psalm forces us to look at our own desires. Can you speak or pray the words of this psalm as if they are your own? Do you long to be in his presence? Does your heart hunger for God?
Just recently I was physically sick for a few days, and I was longing to be well again so I could get back to taking care of my daily responsibilities. I was challenged to think, “When my soul is hurting, do I find my healing by longing for God to? When our hearts are sick with pain or suffering, do we run to him and hunger for more of his presence?”
This month as we pray for women in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, and Slovakia, may we surrender all that is in our hearts and lift up our voices with great longing and hunger for more of God. Even when we are hurting, let us seek him and trust that he is the great physician for our healing.
In our October prayer calendar, we will focus on a hunger for God. We will move our annual prayer and fasting to coincide with the International Women’s Day in March 2017.
May you know his love and healing this month as you walk along your journey of hope with the Lord.
In him our hearts rejoice,