“I cried with all my heart; answer me, O LORD! I will observe Your statutes. I cried to You; save me And I shall keep Your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.” (145-148‬)

I think we rarely find ourselves at this level of desperation. Maybe we’ve seen people be desperate before (in movies or in especially impoverished missions trip locations), but it’s not the usual way we approach scripture.

Do I need it? In different seasons, the need is felt differently, of course. Perhaps my point is not about feelings. Those are fickle, fleeting and easily faked. The point is, the Word of God is so wonderful it can actually be the satisfying answer to a desperation.

It has, after all, been likened to both food and water. (Side note, if you’re having a hard time remembering what true hunger or thirst feels like, fast!)

If the Word of God is worth losing sleep over in the middle of a crisis, perhaps it’s worth some time in the calm too.

-Bethany