Desires

 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." Luke 6:21

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Many have claimed this promise. Many have yet to see it realized in their life. What do we do, what do you do, when this promise has yet to come to pass in your life?

It's very human to have desires and a great many of them are good and pure ones. Marriage, children, successful ministry or success in your field. Many who have had these desires and so many more have had them realized in their lives. Just as many have had them and never have. In a number of ways concerning desires, I fall into that second group. I think I've discovered some things, some truth there. I'll try to pass some of it along to you, though I caution, there is far more that I don't understand than I do.

For those who look for a strict legal understanding of Psalm 37:4, the reason desires have not been met is simple. You haven't really delighted yourself in Him. There's truth in that, but what does it mean to delight ourselves in Him? Is there a certain level we must reach? Does He measure it until He sees a satisfactory point in our desire? How about the object of our desires? Do they all have to be spiritual in their focus? Is the desire for earthly things looked down upon by Him? Certainly in these questions, He wants our desire for Him to be sincere and real, but I think, like faith, He looks upon the desire, feeding it, increasing it within us. He wants to see the reality of our desire and He brings about the increase as we remain open to Him and go deeper into Him. Also, He certainly isn't interested in satisfying our ever growing desire for more "stuff." He's not about materialism, but He does love giving us good things. So, if we're in a place where we're frustrated in the fulfilling of our desires, what might be the reason? Why does He seem to be disinterested in what means so much to us?

I think we can see much of the answer in Luke 5:21. He promises those who are currently hungry that they will be satisfied and that those who currently weep will know laughter. Currently is the important word because it means that their desires are not currently being met......but that they would be. We're not told when or even if it will happen in the here and now. Just that they will be. What I see in this, and what I have experienced in my life is that in the holding back of giving me my immediate desires, He was at work in me to enlarge them. Specifically, to enlarge my desire for Him. I had desires that if met, would enhance my ministry, make me more effective, and also add a deeper sense of fulfillment in my physical and emotional life. All good things. But as they remained unmet, I eventually noticed that what was happening was an ever increasing desire for Him as my unmet desire caused an ever deeper pursuit of Him.  It may have begun with the pursuit of something I wanted, but His delay awakened me to a deeper desire I never fully realized I had. The desire for Him. I discovered He was the only One who could reveal Himself as being better than even my deepest desires in this life. The desires might remain, but the power and frustration that their being unmet had over me was broken. I could still have the desire, but I was able to rest in Him and know that in Him, I did have abundant life even without something that I thought defined what abundance was.

What I'm trying to say is that we are each created with a desire for Him that nothing in this world will ever satisfy. The enemy would have us spend our lives pursuing that which can never really satisfy while missing the only One who can. More than anything, God wants us to want and desire Him. The fulfillment of this desire will bring us into the richest level of life we can know. It is His best for us. He's willing to allow unmet desires remain if they bring us to the place of desiring Him above all else. This is something of what has happened to me and continues to happen to me. I will not realize every earthly desire in this life, but I can realize and experience the desire of my heart.....the fullness of the Father. Whether we know it or not, admit or not, He's the desire of our heart......and if we will have it, He will fulfill that desire. Let Him do so in you.

Blessings,
Pastor O