a word on longing. when the desires of your heart become so deep that you are no longer content in Christ alone. when the presence (or absence) of what you long for determines your delight (or lack thereof) in Christ. when you find yourself discontent in circumstance. discontent in your lot. when your rebel heart begins to question His goodness towards you. this one is for you, and for me. for us both.
I say all this because it’s the labyrinth of my heart. which desire is from the Lord? which desire is from my own heart? and most importantly—will God grant it? surely, if he REALLY loves me, the answer to my prayer will be yes and amen. I find myself here often. confused and longing for what I don’t have...sounds a lot like what Eve heard in the garden. a lot like whispers from a serpent.
when we become consumed with our desires, dreams, goals—whether for good or for selfish gain—they have taken the throne of our hearts. believer, I plead with you. remember who you have crowned king of your heart. take the longings to the altar. he will deal with them how he sees fit. your prayer should be an endless “thy will be done.” His love for us? never a question. but our love for him? this should be the source of our insecurity: not His goodness, but our own faithfulness.
Instead of asking myself if/when/how God will grant me blessing, I should be asking myself if I love Him. is my heart cry “thy will be done” or “my will be done?”
loving Him means obeying. surrendering the longing. sacrificing the losses and hopes and desires. trusting the details to him. believing that he knows what you need more than you know yourself.
the business of the believing heart when it concerns longing is this—
believe everything you want PALES in comparison to all you have been granted.
the cross. new mercies. daily bread. eternal purpose. abundant life. look what you have been given! what you have received in Christ Jesus! silent the snake that invites you to consider what the Lord hasn’t given you.
we could never even fathom the idea that Jesus might have wanted something besides the Father’s will brought to pass.
Jesus wanting to live past 30 with a wife and children? Jesus wanting a palace or land or a quiet place to settle down? He was fully man. I’m sure that he had longings of his own. but here’s how He displays that He is fully God—
His entire life, He aligns His will with the Father’s.
the only thing Jesus ever reveals about his own heart is that it is “gentle and lowly.” never insisting on it’s own way. not expecting of God to grant Him personal pleasures. not even denying a drink from the cup of wrath—death on a cross to bear the sins of all mankind. the death he did nothing to deserve.
He bore it all. why? yes, because He loved you. but more beautifully, because He loved His father more than He loved His own life. “thy will be done” was the cry of His heart. if not for that that 4 worded submission, we would be forever damned and separated from God. do you believe me now?
God CAN and WILL do abundantly more with a life laid down than a life we want for our own selves. just look at Jesus. It’s not about what God can do for us, it’s asking ourselves what we can do for Him
yes, Christ is concerned with the desires of your heart. and your dreams and your passions. and sometimes, out of the kindness of His heart, He will give us what we want. but make no mistake—He cares much more about your holiness than your happiness. what He has withheld or removed is His divine protection.
so choose today who you serve.
Is your life a kingdom purposed for your own majesty? or is it purposed for THE Kingdom—where you are a servant only interested in His glory?
the enemy would like to make it much more complicated than it is. but you cannot serve both yourself and Christ. It is you or it is Him. don’t be fooled in thinking there is room in your heart for both your kingdom and His. one must fall to the other.
““…the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by his letting us have our way in the end, but by his making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly pray what he taught his disciples to pray: Thy will be done.” Elizabeth Elliot
It is my prayer that my life would be an offering. It is my prayer that your life would be an offering.
for when we put all we are, all we want on the altar, He knows exactly what to do with the ashes. and the most glorious part?? “God’s story never ends with ashes” Elisabeth Elliot
You can trust Him to bring more beauty from the ashes than you would have ever seen in the offering to begin with.
Hallelujah. This is the God I serve.