When I think of craving something, I think of food or specialty drinks. After an exhausting day of school, I crave a Starbucks pink drink. On Thursday evenings, I often crave Chick-fil-a chicken nuggets. Several times a day, I crave something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. These things give me pleasure as I seek moments of joy in my day.
Yet while meditating on Psalm 84 this year, I have been humbled by the psalmist’s craving. He says,
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” –Psalm 84:2 (KJV)
Instead of craving physical refreshment, the psalmist craves spiritual refreshment. In the Old Testament, the courts of the Lord were spaces in the tabernacle—and later the temple—for sacrifice and worship.[1] People went there to become right with God, to hear God’s Word taught, and to fellowship with others who were seeking the Lord. In the second half of this verse, the psalmist refines his thought, saying,
“My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” –Psalm 84:2 (KJV)
The psalmist so intensely longs for God Himself that both his heart and his flesh crave God’s presence. This thought made me pause. His flesh cries out for the living God? That’s unusual.
Craving the Eternal
In my experience, Christians usually think of the flesh as only desiring carnal or sinful things. Yet the psalmist so desires God that even his flesh longs to be in God’s presence. He sees that the things of this world are dead and dying. Yet our God is the living God. He is active and present. Every fiber of the psalmist’s being longs to be intimately connected with this living, eternal God.
The psalmist’s desire pushed me to examine myself. Does my soul long to be in God’s presence? Is my morning devotional time something I look forward to and cherish? Or is it something to check off my to-do list? Can I hardly contain my excitement about going to church for each service? Or am I dragging myself out of the house and into the church building out of duty?
I think we could all admit that we do not always crave God’s presence as we would like to. Usually, it is in the difficult moments that we crave God more. When we experience loss or confusion or disappointment, we plead for God to reveal Himself to us.
Yet it is in God’s presence that we find fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). The things of this world are temporary. Earthly pleasures are fleeting and are often followed by sorrow. We satisfy a craving with one pink drink, and the next day we need another. Yet it is God who gives our soul satisfaction and joy. He is ready to comfort and support us. He gives good gifts. His peace is always available. He is the author of joy.
So this week, let’s ask God to give us a craving for His presence. Let’s ask Him to remind us to seek Him in both good moments and bad. Let’s consciously choose music, activities, and environments that lead us to enter the presence of God.
After all, our craving for joy is really a craving for God Himself.
[1] Bible Hub. 2024. s.v. “Courts of the Lord.” https://biblehub.com/topical/c/courts_of_the_lord.htm#:~:text=In%20summary%2C%20the%20courts%20of%20the%20LORD%20are,believer%27s%20relationship%20with%20God%20throughout%20the%20biblical%20narrative.
Copyright © 2025 by Carmen Dillon. All rights reserved.
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Check out biblical insights about homemaking in my book Opening the Hope Chest: A Single Girl’s Guide to Homemaking.
Lots of wisdom here. Thanks !
Thank you!