Longing for God – Bible Study

LONGING FOR GOD

What does it mean to truly long for God? This study invites you on a journey of reflection where you will see His promises, encounter His presence, and prepare your heart to know Him more. Scripture shows us that God draws near to those who seek Him with their whole heart. As we humble ourselves, surrender distractions, and awaken fresh desire, we begin to experience the satisfaction that only comes from Him. May this study stir a deeper hunger in you, leading to a renewed devotion and joy in His presence.

GOD’S INVITATION AND PROMISES

God promises to reveal Himself to all who earnestly seek Him with their whole heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29

But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

2 Chronicles 15:1-2

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Jeremiah 29:12-13

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Joel 2:12-13

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.

Psalm 145:18–19

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.”

Psalm 119:2

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart.

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

John 7:37–38
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’

What distractions or substitutes compete with your hunger for Him?

How have you experienced God’s nearness when you’ve called on Him sincerely?

HIS HUMBLING PRESENCE

Encountering God’s presence strips away pride and awakens true worship.

Job 42:5–6

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;

therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Exodus 33:15

“And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.’”

Isaiah 6:1–5
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’”

Psalm 73:25–26
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Luke 5:8
“But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’”

Luke 18:13–14
“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.”

Philippians 3:7–11
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead”

When was the last time you were undone by God’s holiness?

How does seeing His greatness change how you see yourself?

PREPARING OUR HEARTS AND LONGING FOR GOD

Cleansing and Renewal

Longing for God begins with a heart purified and renewed by Him.

Psalm 51:10–12
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

James 4:7–8
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Hosea 10:12
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”

What sins or habits do you need to bring before God for cleansing?

Surrender and Transformation

Longing for God requires us to lay ourselves fully before Him.

Romans 12:1–2
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Hebrews 12:1–2
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What are you still holding back from God?

Examination and Purity

God calls us to search our hearts and anchor ourselves in His Word.

Psalm 139:23–24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

Psalm 119:9–11
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Are you willing to let God search the hidden places of your heart?

Focus and Pursuit

We cultivate longing by fixing our minds, prayers, and love wholly on Him.

Colossians 3:1–2
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Matthew 7:7–8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Matthew 22:37
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

How can you grow in loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind?

Thirst and Desire

The deepest longing flows from an unshakable hunger for God Himself.

Psalm 42:1–2
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”

Do you truly thirst for God, or do you settle for lesser satisfactions?

DAVID’S LONGING PRAYER

David models a soul that finds ultimate satisfaction and joy in God’s steadfast love. Let’s make this Psalm our prayer too.

Psalm 63

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. 

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

In what ways has God awakened a fresh desire for His presence in your life?

How has encountering God’s promises, presence, and call to renewal shaped the way you might pursue Him now?

What is one practical step you can take this week to nurture your longing for God?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.