Desires of the Heart
Posted By Phylicia on October 13, 2009
What do you want most out of life? What do want most in life? In each of us there is a desire for something. It could be more money or financial stability, it could be a better education, it could be a spouse, or it could be a better car. Perhaps it’s not something tangible — maybe it’s good friendships that you desire, or peace about a decision to be made. Whatever it may be that instigates it, the bloom of hope inside you is the desire of your heart.
With every desire comes the need to reconcile personal urgency and God’s timing. It’s human nature to ‘want what I want and want it NOW’. How often do we feel that if we don’t have our hearts’ desire fulfilled ASAP that it will never come to fruition at all? I know I have felt that way. I often picture God at these times with a patient smile on his face, watching my own face contort with anxiety as I worry over when, where, and how: “My Child, where is your faith?”
Today in my ladies’ bible study, Discerning the Voice of God (by Priscilla Shirer), Priscilla talked about the desires of our hearts. She quoted the life verse of my high school years, a verse I still treasure very much:
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
When I was young I thought that this meant if I spent as much time as possible with the Lord, and truly made him my joy, then he would give me the things I wanted out of life. This is partially true. Yet there is a greater concept hidden in this verse, one that Priscilla brought to light: as we seek God, making him our utmost priority, he changes the desires of our hearts to fit his will for our lives.
No matter what our desires are, if we refuse to relinquish them to God this indicates the same effect on our character: worship of the desire, rather than of Christ. We cling to our hopes and dreams because we are afraid that if we give them up God will never give them back. This is not true. Not all of our desires need be changed. But it is not for us to decide which need changing and which remain the same; our duty is to seek the Lord with all our heart, mind and strength, allowing him to do with our dreams as he will.
So many people long to know ‘the will of God’; yet I wonder how many actually yield their hearts’ desires up to him for his purposes. I know I refused him many times. We think we know what we want and that submitting our longings to God will result in never seeing them come to fruition. This is fear. God cannot work with fear, but he can work with faith!
This is the truth: God has a will for each of us. If we intend to follow his will we have to seek him, know him, hear him, and obey him. By doing this we draw so close to God that our heart is united to his, and our desires naturally change to fit his plan for our life. It isn’t painful and sudden; it is a gradual transformation of our heart’s atmosphere. The painful part can be the initial decision to surrender.
If anyone would come after me, let her deny herself and take up her cross and follow me. For whoever would save her life will lose it, but whoever loses her life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 16:24-25)
In order to have ‘that which is truly life’ (1 Tim. 6:19) we have to give up that which we think is life. Faith believes that God’s will for us is better than anything we can manufacture ourselves. Faith makes the desires of the heart come true.
I reaaly enjoyed reading your post! You always have something very profitable to read!
God Bless you as you write!
Laura
What a great encouragement and reminder! I so desire to follow the Lord’s will and yet I must remember to be continually surrendered to Him in ALL areas. I know I’ll be the most fulfilled and full of joy smack-dab in the middle of His will!