Deepest Desire

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Question: What is the deep desire(s) of your heart? Answer …  

How long did it take you to express, if at all, your deepest, genuine yearning? Maybe you have a long list of things you want, a new car, a big screen TV, a promotion at work, a high score on the SAT; things like that are added and removed from our list of wants almost daily. And if we are honest, we often want those things because we see what others around us have. For example, you can easily get “laptop fever” when you see someone with the latest and greatest computer, even though yours operates perfectly well. 

Your things list may come and go, but what about your deep desires? If you haven’t taken time to prayerfully consider it/them, how can you talk to God about it, or prayerfully request them? Quite frankly, you can’t.

Could it be that because we don’t truly know the desire of our heart, we offer prayers for random, incoherent things rather than authentic, heartfelt desires? I’m convinced that the Lord graciously protects us from such foolish wants by often saying, “No!” And if you are not grounded in the Lord, and not praying with heartfelt sincerity, you may be wondering why your prayers go unanswered.

Here’s the deal. It takes time and effort to articulate the desires of your heart. What I have found is that the deeper I dig into my heart, the “things list” diminishes and godly things come to mind. Things like being Christlike; living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, or being content in a materialistic culture — things of that nature.

If you haven’t already done so, take time to search your heart. Better yet, ask the Lord to search your heart. The Psalmist did:

Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my desires.

See if there is any offensive way in me;

lead me in the everlasting way. 

(Psalm 139:23-24)

It’s hard work to search your heart like that, and it can be humbling too! But the outcome is worth it!

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4