Relentless Pursuit

Flocks of robins are in Bucks County right now.  They were roosting in the Maple tree by my deck before our big snow storm.  Once the snow covered the ground their feeding options became limited.  I read that robins move according to food supply.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says that robins prefer worms in the morning and fruit in the afternoon:)  Fruit is the primary source of a robin's winter food but they switch to earthworms as soon as the ground thaws.
 
There is a 4-5" strip of exposed soil that is not frozen between my sidewalk and the mounds of snow.  Every morning this week, as I walked out my front door, I could see the handiwork of the robins.  They have been relentlessly pecking for their favorite food--earthworms.  Each morning my sidewalk has been covered in soil and mulch that was left behind by the robins in their quest to eat what they consider to be gourmet fare.
 
As I was getting in my car to go to work one morning I heard that gentle voice of the Holy Spirit pointing out that these birds were on a relentless pursuit to satisfy their hunger.  Then I heard the cry of God's heart:  "Oh that my children would be like the robins--stopping at nothing, leaving nothing in the way in their pursuit of me, the One True God, who alone can satisfy their hunger for the Bread of Life!"
 
To pursue means to seek, hound, search out, chase after and persevere.  Relentless means not letting up, persistent, unstoppable.  How hungry are we? What gets in the way of our pursuit of the Lord?  What are the challenges to a life that puts seeking and loving the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds?  Many of the Psalms that David wrote convey his deep desire to know the Lord intimately.  Read the verses that he penned and ask yourself if you have the same burning desire to know the Lord as David did:
 
Psalm 27:4 -                 "One thing I ask of the Lord; this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."
Psalm 42:1-2 -              "As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.    My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?"
Psalm 63:1,3-5 -           "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water...because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You...My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You."
 
Can you sense the desperation in the cry of David's heart?  How desperate are we?  Jesus said, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world...I am the Bread of Life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."  (John 6:33, 35)  Our part in being filled is setting aside time to receive the Bread.  Just as the robins pursue their food daily, we must make this pursuit of the Bread of Life our number one priority.  Isaiah 55:6 tells us, "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near."
 
The Lover of our souls is calling to us.  How will we respond?  Will we take the time to feast at His table?  He has prepared a place for us.  As we take time to sit with Him He will feed us and awaken our desire for more of Him.  I am partial to the King James Bible’s Version of Proverbs 8:17.  "I love them that love me; and those who seek me early shall find me."  Early conveys prompt obedience to the Lord when He calls to us.  Is seeking the Lord our highest desire, the one that has top priority?  Let us ask the Lord to increase our spiritual hunger so that we will be relentless in our pursuit of Him--the only One who can satisfy!