23). And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24). Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
JOHN 16:23-24 KJV
If you were asked to name the desire of your heart, would you know what to say? Of course, we all have a seemingly endless list of things we want—whether a new car, a promotion, healing, or respect. That list is constantly in flux, as our wants frequently change. But what about our true desires?
If we’ve never taken the time to meditate prayerfully on this issue, then we may not even know what our heart’s desires are. And if that is the case, how can we request them from the Lord? The simple answer is, we can’t.
In many of Paul’s epistles, he uses a variation of the Greek word epithymía, which means “a passion built on strong feelings.” Those desires are good if they’re inspired by God (PSALM 37:4).
Not knowing what we truly desire can lead us to offer up a string of prayers for random wants rather than genuine, heartfelt yearnings. Sometimes the Lord graciously answers these requests; other times He even more graciously protects us from foolish longings by saying no.
Are you able to articulate your heart’s desire today? If not, dedicate some prayer time this week to the issue.
Ask the Lord to open your eyes to what He desires for you and to align your desires with His will.
-IBC
Comments