MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - 15/07/2026

WEDNESDAY - 15TH JULY, 2026

MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Olusola & Oreoluwa ADEJUMO

WHEN SHALL I COME AND APPEAR BEFORE GOD? - Thirsty In A Dry Land Series 004

Psalms 42:1-2, KJV

"1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

May you get here! Oh, I pray, may you reach this juncture! A place where you desirously gaze up for a response as you yearn and confess your longing, "when shall I come and appear before You - oh God?" This reminds me of my latest sporadic desires to be with Venerable Johnson Oyebode of Ijebu Anglican Communion, Church of Nigeria. He's one of the few anointed ministers I know, especially in the Orthodox setting. When you're with him, rain will fall. It'll be revelation upon revelation. You can't be with him and scales will not fall from your sight. He seems to have that grace of making the most foolish and dullard in spiritual things understand. For short, he gives sight to the blind. The prayer of Elisha seems to manifest very well in his ministry. 

II Kings 6:17, KJV

"And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

Oh, he has that - the testimony of regained sight! May you too understand and see wondrous things from God's Word. That's because of the revelatory Spirit on him. Having been separated and hindered from making physical contacts with him till now, I recently recalled those blessed moments of prayer, sharing and sitting under his feet. My desire is one - that it'll happen again. My thirst is, "when shall I come and appear before him again?" Why? He has the Word of life! He fills me with water when he speaks.

This quest is not one for scratchers. This is not the desire of those who do hit and run. This is not for Marthas that are too distracted to tarry. Do you know who the hit and runs are? They are those who are driven to God's presence because of needs and problems. God is merely their service provider. They love and patronize Him for what He has to give and not who He is. They are not different from Isaac who loves Esau for the venison he offers. 

Genesis 25:28, KJV

"And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob."

However, Rebecca begs to differ. The Bible doesn't attach a condition for her loving Jacob. It means, as long as God continues to pay their bills, they'll continue to visit Him. Even at that, it's merely a visit. They don't sleep over. They don't develop friendship and intimacy. Apart from what they want to receive, God does not trust them enough to converse with them or share secrets. They know nothing or heard nothing even if they have the goods. That's because they are not real friends. They don't stay back after others have gone. They only look to His hands. God to them is their "sugar daddy" and not a soul mate.

However, there's a generation, a category that does differently. Their own behavior deviates to God's glory from the one I've just showed you. They are the ones who love and pursue God for who He is. That's who the Psalmist is. He says, "as the hart (male deer) pants after streams of water, so my soul pants after You O Lord." Water sustains animals and if you know anything about a deer, gazelle or antelope, you'll know they are animals endowed with remarkable speed to escape predators. Imagine such an animal that had just escaped the clutches of the predator needing regeneration, revival and refreshment and finding none. What do you think its fate is in the long run? Death, if he continues long in that condition. 

That's why the imagery used there shows relentless pursuit of life. That brook or stream has life giving capabilities. As far as we know, God is the source of life. In Him we live, move and take our being (Acts 17:28). He's our self-contain room! As water is to plants and animals, so is God to every human. We are created to pursue God. 

Suddenly in verse 2, the Psalmist speaks more plainly by saying, "my soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

By asking that question, we ought to be suspicious of certain things. Is the Psalmist already at a breaking point where not having a refresh from God could lead to his being compromised? I'm seeing a gaunt, fainting deer that's weary and would not be revived let alone satisfied unless it drinks from the brook. May you get here. On a daily basis, may you see the need to bend and prostrate fall before the Almighty to take a fresh drink. May you not be one of the hit and runs whose feet never stay in the house of the Lord. May your need for God: for fellowship and intimacy, for spiritual sustenance forever toss you to His chest and override mere goodies.  

May your restlessness drive you to Him. May you see and read correctly that your restlessness has been allowed so that you may seek and find Him. 

PRAYER: I receive discernment to understand reasons for my restlessness. May I not replace my need for God with the need/addiction to hard drugs, sex, food or material things.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

I Chronicles 19:1-21:30, Romans 2:25-3:8, Psalm 11:1-7, Proverbs 19:10-12

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