Clinging to God - Part 1

Many people wear their faith lightly. They may wear their religion loudly, but in their inner lives, they touch God lightly – their brushes with the divine are fleeting and superficial, accidental and incidental.

This was not so for the psalmist who declared, “My soul clings to you [O God]” (Psalm 63:8) from his inmost being. His experience was intense and personal. He did not wear his faith lightly. Instead there is an earnest, whole-hearted hanging on to God, and it was with heartfelt intentionality.

Some people have an intense experience of wanting to cling to God for at least two reasons:

Firstly, when people are desperately in need of help and without hope, they tend to cling to God. When things are going well and seem to be in control, and we think we are managing fine, we tend to forget that without God we cannot do anything. Without His mercy, we are like clay that has been exposed to the sun’s scorching rays – our lives will harden, become brittle and eventually crack.

Comfortable people seldom seek God. Self-sufficient and self-confident

people don’t need God – but they live in an illusion.

When trouble strikes, we realise we need help. When our self-survival strategies fail and our lives begin to unravel, we then turn to God more desperately. We want Him to drop everything and come to our rescue when He hears our cry for help.

The psalmist was no stranger to such moments. He lived in a world filled with enemies who ridiculed and plotted against him.

When circumstances turned sour, he cried out for God’s intervention. “Hasten, O God, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me” he prayed. He urged God, “O Lord, do not delay” (Psalm 70:1, 5). The self-sufficient man whose world starts crumbling discovers that he needs God who is our shelter and shade, our Rock and stronghold.

Many people are like the holiday-maker who lazily floats near the beach, holding a drink in one hand and lightly touching a projecting rock to keep himself in position. But then a tsunami strikes, and all hell breaks loose. He forgets the drink and desperately clings to the rock.

Could it be possible that God allows disaster to strike, so that we can learn what it means for our souls to cling to Him? Does He send us nightmares to disrupt our pointless daydreams so that our souls can be awakened to reality?

Discussion Questions:

Reflect on the two reasons why people may cling to God. Which of these is a greater reality in your life, and what does it say about where you are in your spiritual walk with God? Can you think of other reasons why people might cling to God?