Seek Firstনমুনা

Day 4) Desires

What Should We Do With Our Desires?

1) Talk To God About Them

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7 ESV)

As Christians, it can often be difficult to know what to do with our desires. God has already done so much for us that we might feel greedy for wanting more. However, it’s comforting to remember that God already knows the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4). With this in mind, we can freely talk to Him about them. This doesn’t mean God will give us everything we ask for, but the more we bring our desires to Him in prayer, the more those desires will be shaped by His will and purpose for our lives.

2) Trust God With Them

“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?” (Matthew 7:8-10 ESV)

Once we’ve talked to God about our desires, the real work begins. This isn’t the work of striving, stressing or trying to force our desires to come to fruition. It’s the deeper work of trusting God. We trust His Word and His intentions for our lives, and we trust that He will give what is best for His children. In the waiting, we often discover the greatest gift of all: His loving and comforting presence.

3) Thank God For Them

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11 ESV)

When God gives you good things (whether they match your original desire or turn out to be something even better), it is important to respond with gratitude. How amazing is it that God doesn’t stop at meeting our basic needs, as we saw in the first part of this study? He delights in blessing His children with more than we deserve, this means we can joyfully thank Him for both the gifts and the Giver!

Big Idea: God invites us to bring our desires to Him, not to shame us for having them. Bringing our desires to Him opens the door for Him to shape them through relationship, trust and gratitude. As we talk to God, trust Him and thank Him, our hearts are aligned more closely with His will.

Let’s Think About This:

Question 1) Why do you think it's sometimes difficult to bring your desires to God in prayer?

Question 2) What does it look like in your life to trust God with a desire that hasn’t been fulfilled yet?

Question 3) Can you think of a time when God gave you something different (and better) than what you originally desired? How did you respond?