Journal entry January 27, 2026

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him? Psalm 42:1-2

Heavenly Father, I'm so glad that I can come and stand before You right now. My soul does long for You today with an indescribable yearning. It is You alone and Your holiness, Your purity, Your grace, Your love, and Your mercy that I long for.

My devotional this morning asked the question "Do you remember the moment God became real to you?" I remember as a young boy becoming acutely aware of your presence. I watched You through the eyes of my mother. I watched her depend upon you after she lost her only daughter. You were real to her, and that was enough for me. I can distinctly remember as a teenager trying to find my way, and the night when You seemingly audibly spoke to me, and I became acutely aware of Your presence with me. Oh how I wish that awareness would've always been in the forefront of my mind and kept me from making poor decisions. Yet even when I made poor decisions I was aware of Your presence and Your intervention in my life.

Lord as I'm reading through Genesis again I am reminded of men like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who all made poor decisions yet You were with them. Perhaps it is your never-ending faithfulness and Your love and Your forgiveness that makes You so irresistibly attractive to me today. I really can't explain it other than I long for You with a yearning in my heart today.

Thank You Father for Your genuine love and compassion. Thank You for Jesus, my Lord and my Savior. Thank you for His righteousness and my righteousness that comes through Him. Thank You for Your presence in my life. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit living within me that is working this day to draw me unto You. I give thanks in Jesus name AMEN.