Ask anyone who is really in love and they will tell you that the most terrible feeling in the world, or so it seems, is being away from the one they love. Taken to the extreme, people in love “always” want to be in each other’s company and if they are apart, constantly being in touch with each other becomes a priority. Of course, technology has made it possible to reduce distance. The internet with various social media applications allows us to see and interact with loved ones regardless of where they are. Most of us use them to maintain our communication and intimacy with those we love. These individuals are special and, in some cases, we think of them as “all we have.”
These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on the words of the psalmist Asaph: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee” (Psalm 73:25, KJV). While his context is one of intense trial from the infirmities of his own heart, his words nevertheless echo an awareness that nothing in this world brings as great a satisfaction as being secure in one’s most personal and intimate of relationships – the one with God. To the person who loves God supremely, nothing in this world with all its pomp and splendour can truly satisfy. Like the lover who longs for the object of his or her affection, all other relationships pale in significance. So it is in the natural, so it should be in the spiritual. The committed believer is moved with the realization that no one else in heaven or on earth is as precious as our heavenly Father. In other words, among all of heaven and earth, and even if there were other life forms in any of the far reaches of the vast universe, He alone is our true “one and only.”
The love of the committed lover for his or her beloved influences their behaviour toward others. Faithfulness abounds in the heart of such a one. The value placed on the relationship is of such that we guard our hearts and minds against resting on another. We are careful in our interactions with others and conduct ourselves accordingly. We should bring this same mindset to our relationship with God through Christ Jesus – one of trust and fidelity. We dare not forsake the fountain of living waters for broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13). After all, He is one of a kind; there is no one in heaven or on earth who is like Him and He is not worth losing for anyone or anything.
Sometimes the enemy of our souls would have us believe that in devoting ourselves to the One we love, we are “missing out” on the fun things in life. However, this is definitely not the case for as another psalmist reminds us: “Delight yourself also in the LORD; and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). Everything we need to satisfy us can be found in the Object of our affection, for in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). However far we can stretch our imagination, nothing else begins to compare as favorably.
“Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” I echo those sentiments because I have found them to be true. How about you?
