Derek Homer

Psalm 84:2 “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
This song came to me during prayer. I had managed to find a quiet, intimate place for me to turn my thoughts inwards and reflect upon all the good things God has done for me.
Suddenly I became convicted to pray about giving more of myself to our Lord and God. I found myself saying it over and over again: "I want to give more to You, Jesus, more to You..." It was one of those rare but sweet moments when nothing else mattered, when I found myself close to Him, speaking this plain and simple truth.
Later, I wondered why I had felt such a strong compulsion to give more to Jesus. It would be impossible to list all of the reasons here, but I will list a few of them:
- Because He died for meHe didn't have to, except out of obedience to Our Father. I had not asked Him to, nor did His life particularly depend on it, but He did it anyway. He did it because 'my' life depended on it. Not only that, but He died horribly, long before I decided to know Him or follow Him. Now THAT is real love!
- Because He rescued meI have, over the course of my life, managed to find myself in the most intriguing, incredible and ridiculous situations at times. It may not have been my fault every time, but way too often it has been. I've messing up not just my situation but others' situations as well. Each time though, God has stepped in to rescue me! I don't mean that He helps me "get away with it" - quite the opposite! He gives me strength and courage when I am in need of help, and He leads me to face up to my errors (and the consequences) with humility when I have been wrong.
- Because He continues to rescue meHis love never ends. He promises never to leave me or forsake me, and His promise is unconditional. Because of this, His goodness leads me to repentance (Rom 2:4). I shouldn't watch myself too closely to see how I'm measuring up, in case my performance becomes more important to me than my relationship with God. Instead, I should watch Him closely (Heb 12:2) and trust that He will guide me along the right path (Psa 23:3) and that He will finish the work He has started in me (Phil 1:6).
It seems like an extravagant exchange: that He should give me so much, whereas I give Him "bits and pieces" of my life in return. In that still moment when I manage to quiet everything around me, I realise I cannot repay all that He does for me, and my heart truly breaks...
... It's in that moment, before my God, that I declare my desire to give more to Him.
 
Listen to "More To You" on Spotify here.