No Sweeter Place than In My Beloved's Arms

Psalm 27:4, "The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple."

Yesterday, I got to go to Disneyland, "The Happiest Place on Earth". We spent all day down there, and it was an enjoyable day. However, on my way home from Disneyland, I felt an emptiness inside that was longing to be filled.

When I get tired, that's the time I have to be careful about my emotions not getting the better of me. When I'm well-rested and alert, I seem to keep my emotions in check a little better, but at the end of the day, I know I'd better go to bed or I'm going to cry over things that I normally keep in the right perspective. Late at night, I begin struggling with this one challenge: Contentment in my singleness.

Being content in this area has always been a struggle for me, but God has been working on my heart over the years and what once was a constant struggle is now usually just a struggle when I get tired. Anyway, on the drive home last night, God began stirring in my heart the title of this devotional: "No Sweeter Place than In My Beloved's Arms".

My friend and brother fell asleep on the drive home, and I spent that time singing Christian songs. I recognized the empty place in my heart, but after having a moment of getting God's perspective once more, I saw that empty place for what it really was: A longing for God. At the start of my trip, I listened to the Bible app on my phone, but I didn't get that quiet, personal, alone time with God in the morning that I normally do. What disguised itself as a longing for a spouse was actually a longing for intimacy with God. Psalm 42:1 was the cry of my heart. "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."

I longed to be in my quiet place with God and be able to read His Word and spend one-on-one time with my Beloved.

If your relationship status on Facebook today reads "Single", I hope this devotional encourages you. I know at this time of the year the focus on relationships is maximized with the focus on Valentine's Day. The media hype, the internet, and the stores being flooded with teddy bears, chocolates, and anything else they can put a heart on can tempt us to have our entire thought life centered on this concept of needing a special person to call our own. However, if you're single, it's not a surprise to God. As I opened my Bible this morning to study for verses to share with this devotional, I ran across Psalm 33:15. It says, "He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do." God gets it. He sees the longings of our hearts. He sees the intentions of our hearts. He knows.

The truth of the matter is this: Only God can satisfy. Psalm 63:1-5 says this, "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy."

I love the ending part of the verse above: "You satisfy me more than the richest feast." If you've ever read Ecclesiastes, what I'm sharing with you now will sound very familiar, but it's so true. You can search for things all your life looking for something to satisfy your heart, but in the end, you'll find this one statement to be true. There is no sweeter place than in my Beloved's arms. You can run to fame, fortune, power, success, riches, drugs, relationships, and even to "The Happiest Place on Earth", but you will never find the satisfaction your heart was created for until you find yourself in the arms of your Beloved, Jesus Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I asked You to come into my heart when I was only six years old. I've walked with you all my life, but somehow there are still times when I look for fulfillment in this life rather than in You. Sometimes I feel like there is something else I need to be satisfied, but no matter where I run, only in Your arms is there true satisfaction. You know my heart and see the longing I have for someone to share my life with and call my husband, but I believe in this time of being single, You are doing things in my heart that are revealing truth to me about the fact that no matter how good something in this life may be, there is nothing sweeter than You. Thank You for being my Beloved. Even when a person comes along for me to call my spouse, help me to continue to look to You for satisfaction because even the best person cannot satisfy my longing for You. In Jesus' Name.

Amen.