Prayer and Our Heart's Desire
Reading Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest can mess you up…and it can lead to other thoughts. This morning's thought did just that. It messed me up and led me to think about some other things - of course, that could be my A.D.D. When I got to his statement "The purpose of God is not to answer our prayers, but by our prayers we discern the mind of God…" the thought crossed my mind, but doesn't God give us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4)? This is where my brain went kinda sideways this morning…I know, go figure.
When I talk to groups about prayer this usually comes up…you know, the idea that God will give us the desires of our hearts. And someone inevitably jumps in with both feet and says something like, "Yeah, but over time God's desires become our desires." Well alrighty, then! Now it's gonna get a little tricky, so stay with me. If that's true, then why don't we see more prayers answered? I mean, wouldn't God want to see the desires of His own heart fulfilled?
Oh man, now I just created more questions in my mind. See what I mean about going sideways? Ok, grab your floaties, we're about to jump into the deep end. I've got to ask, Are we praying God's heart? If not, why not? Wasn't His heart and His desires supposed to become my desires over time? Could it be that we don't spend enough time with God to really know God's heart & desires? Or, even if we do spend time with Him, have we allowed His desires to overtake our desires? It's like we want God's desires as long as they line up with ours or we don't want them at all.
This is where I usually ask the group, "How do we get to the place in our lives that God's desires DO become our desires?" **crickets** **crickets**
Yeah, we're not so good at what it takes to get to this place. I think it's because we really want our desires to become God's desires. Hmmmm…not sure it works like that.
Want to know what Jesus' desire is? "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:21). Jesus' prayer for you and me was that we would be come one with the one another and one with the Father. That happens through time in the Scriptures, allowing the Spirit of God access to the deepest recesses of our lives, and seeking & listening to those who are more mature in their faith than we are. I gotta ask, when was the last time you did any or all of these?
Thanks Os for stepping in to my life today. I gotta admit, my desires are not always God's desires. Sometimes their selfish. Sometimes their cynical. Sometimes their faithless.
May the desires of God's heart become your desires…may you delight in Him.
Mike
When I talk to groups about prayer this usually comes up…you know, the idea that God will give us the desires of our hearts. And someone inevitably jumps in with both feet and says something like, "Yeah, but over time God's desires become our desires." Well alrighty, then! Now it's gonna get a little tricky, so stay with me. If that's true, then why don't we see more prayers answered? I mean, wouldn't God want to see the desires of His own heart fulfilled?
Oh man, now I just created more questions in my mind. See what I mean about going sideways? Ok, grab your floaties, we're about to jump into the deep end. I've got to ask, Are we praying God's heart? If not, why not? Wasn't His heart and His desires supposed to become my desires over time? Could it be that we don't spend enough time with God to really know God's heart & desires? Or, even if we do spend time with Him, have we allowed His desires to overtake our desires? It's like we want God's desires as long as they line up with ours or we don't want them at all.
This is where I usually ask the group, "How do we get to the place in our lives that God's desires DO become our desires?" **crickets** **crickets**
Yeah, we're not so good at what it takes to get to this place. I think it's because we really want our desires to become God's desires. Hmmmm…not sure it works like that.
Want to know what Jesus' desire is? "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:21). Jesus' prayer for you and me was that we would be come one with the one another and one with the Father. That happens through time in the Scriptures, allowing the Spirit of God access to the deepest recesses of our lives, and seeking & listening to those who are more mature in their faith than we are. I gotta ask, when was the last time you did any or all of these?
Thanks Os for stepping in to my life today. I gotta admit, my desires are not always God's desires. Sometimes their selfish. Sometimes their cynical. Sometimes their faithless.
May the desires of God's heart become your desires…may you delight in Him.
Mike
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