Desire
Psalm 73:25-26, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Whom have I in heaven but YOU? There is no person or thing on earth that I desire more than YOU!
We sing “You Are My All in All” or “Give Me Jesus” but then…
…some new gadget catches our eyes.
…we contemplate emptying our bank accounts to take a dream vacation.
…we become absorbed in a new relationship and cannot envision life without this friend.
…during my devotional time the “forbidden fruit” is calling my name so loudly that I can’t concentrate. (See Delight)
Too often our perspective becomes one of entitlement. “If God wants me to be happy, He will give me what I desire.”
Did God ever promise to make us happy? Did God ever say that He wants us to be happy?
Some of us are “people pleasers.” We focus on doing what will make others happy with us. We strive to “do everything right” so others will not be disappointed with us. Many firstborn children have this tendency. We want to hear the words “you did a great job” or “I’m proud of you.” We seek approval from parents, teachers, supervisors, and ministry leaders. Our love language is “words of affirmation.”
But do we have the same desire to bring delight to our Heavenly Father? How do we know what is pleasing to Him? Do we have to wait until we get to Heaven to hear Him say, “Well done”?
In Part 1, we learned that God only gives us what we want when what we want is what He wants.
GOD TELLS US WHAT PLEASES HIM.
God wants us to know Him.
I Timothy 2:4, “Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Jesus wants us to live with Him forever.
John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which you have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
God wants our humble submission.
Psalm 51:16, “For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
God wants us to be truthful about ourselves.
Psalm 51:6, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
When we confess our sins, do we include the sins of the heart? Stubbornness, self-will, stinginess, wrong motives, strife, envy, and a plethora of attitudes that may be known only to ourselves and God. It is better to confess and forsake these sins in the early stages than to wait until they are manifested outwardly in words and actions that hurt others.
God wants us to pray.
I Timothy 2:8, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
God wants us to grow as we feed on His Word.
I Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.”
HOW THEN CAN WE ALIGN THE DESIRES OF OUR HEART WITH GOD’S DESIRES?
Desire God’s wisdom.
Proverbs 8:11, “For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.”
Desire God’s presence.
Psalm 27:4, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”
Desire to serve God and others.
Matthew 20:26-27, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”
Lord, replace my desires with a craving to know You and Your presence. Give me a desire to feast on Your living Word that I may gain wisdom and grow to be more like Christ. Help me to be honest about my own desires and submit to Your will for me. Help me to love You and serve You all the days of my life.”
