“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
(Psalm 34:4)
Will God really give me the desires of my heart? The answer is yes and no. Desires can be good or bad. Desiring a certain career, to get married, to buy a more reliable car, earn a degree, or relocate to another house may be normal desires, but are they God’s desires for you at this specific time in your life? Contrary to the repeated “follow your heart” message echoed in our culture, personal desires can be deceiving. God cares deeply about about you, but He also understands the misleading nature of our human desires. Because desires can be driven by impulsive decisions from our carnal flesh, they often lead to choices we will later regret. Sometimes our humanity blinds us to the realization that our desires are motivated by recognition, acceptance, vain-glory, envy, or a thousand other possible impure motives.
Some inwardly believe God is keeping good things from them. Rest assured, God doesn’t want anything to cheat you of His best for you. That’s why the Word of God cautions us about the deceptiveness of our own heart’s desires. The prophet Jeremiah warned, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart…” (Jeremiah 17:9-10). You cannot trust your heart’s desires. That’s why your every desire must be filtered through the will of God for your life.
The word of God provides a filter from fleshly desires, and assures you God works with your best interest in mind. If our desire is outside of the bounds of God’s Word, then it’s outside the bounds of God’s will. Only as we surrender our desires to God’s revealed will in His Word, can we fortify our heart from the deceptive pull of our own desires which deprive us of God’s very best for our life. Too often, we expect God to sign off on our whims and wishes without yielding ourselves fully to Him. It’s wise to patiently wait upon the Lord to be sure your desires are brought in harmony with God’s Word and God’s will.
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)
In his humanity, the Lord Jesus surrendered His will through fervent prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The agony of Christ’s cross reminds us the will of God sometimes involves pain and suffering. Too often, selfcentered desires are more like fairytale dreams free of problems, adversity, or growing pains. Challenges and difficulties are inescapable when your desires are one with God’s desires. You can be sure following God’s will always lead to forsaking your comfort zone, and trusting God’s tailor-made plan for your life. You know your desire has been fully conformed to Christ’s when your soul’s delight is following Him regardless of the cost. Though God’s desires are never without discomfort, you can trust His will and ways are infinitely superior to your own.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Learning to wait on the Lord, as challenging as it may be, is the key to conforming your will to God’s. Someone accurately said, “The work that God does in us when we wait is usually more important than the thing for which we wait.” God’s greatest desire for us is to bring us into closer fellowship with Him which inevitably alters our own personal desires. Before God’s desires become a reality in your life, He directs your steps to bring about the fulfillment of His plan for you. Waiting on God brings us to the realization that God is not working against us but for us. His ways are always for our good and for His glory.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”
(Psalm 37:23)
The rose is a favorite flower with its intricate design and colorful petals. But roses don’t start in full bloom; they begin as a small bud with the petals beautifully packaged inside. What if you decided to force the rose to blossom before it was ready to open? By rushing the process to open each delicate petal by hand, the poor, mutilated rose wouldn’t look anything like it was designed. It has been said, “Impatience is the enemy of God’s best.” Only by waiting on God’s timing is the beauty of His intricate design for your life realized.
Life is not so much about your destination as it is about your development. When we seek God’s will, we are not speaking to an imaginary genie in a bottle or wishing upon a star. God created us to know Him, and that is why He maximizes the waiting times in life to bring us into deeper fellowship with Him. You cannot truly know the will of God until you stop pursuing the what and start pursing the Who—Jesus Christ Himself.
The will of God for our life doesn’t begin with the pursuit of a place, a plan, a position, or a perception of what we think makes us happy. Even good ideas may not be God’s ideas. Start with pursuing the Person of Jesus Christ and embrace the waiting process. God’s will may later involve relocating to a new town, a new house, or a new position, but not before passionately seeking and delighting in knowing the Person of Jesus Christ. Everything else is secondary until Christ is primary.
“The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.”
(Proverbs 10:24)
David Livingstone served the Lord as a missionary, medical doctor, and explorer of the inner continent of Africa. God’s will for him involved enduring life-threatening perils, treacherous places, and dangerous people throughout his lifetime, yet he confidently declared, “There is one safe and happy place and that is in the will of God.” When you first, get your “delight” right,
God will fashion your desires according to His will. Are you surrendering your desires to God in prayer? Are you daily delighting in the Lord by seeking His Word for wisdom? The human heart can be fickle, unsteady, and deceiving. Avoid forcing God’s plan to fit into the mold of your desires. Only as you surrender your desires, can the Lord’s desires become your own. Delight in the Lord through the waiting process, and watch God’s perfect plan unfold before your eyes!
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
(Psalm 34:4)