“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie    http://www.harvest.org/devotional

Written by Beth Andrews for “Deeper Roots”  @  https://dbethandrews.wordpress.com

Original post @ https://dbethandrews.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/what-is-the-desire-of-your-heart/

What is the Desire of Your Heart?

POSTED ON JANUARY 12, 2024 BY BETH ANDREWS

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven . . .’” (Matthew 6:9)

Somewhere in my life, I got the message that God, being sovereign and all, was going to do what He was going to do without any commentary from me. He had a plan and it would be enacted. I had no say in the matter. He wanted no arguments or suggestions from me.

From that, prayer became a dry, rote practice. And from that, prayer became a moot point. I mean, what could I say that would make any difference at all? And “unanswered” prayers reinforced that warped theology.

Then I looked more deeply into the idea of prayer and I realized the point of prayer isn’t changing God’s mind or gaining His approval for my desires. It is about changing my heart and aligning my desires with God’s desires so that He can answer my prayers affirmatively. In a sense, I am still subject to God’s sovereignty, but through prayer, it is not begrudging God’s plan but rather submitting Joyfully to it. And that changes everything about prayer for me.

Consider this – we all love Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We claim that frequently for all sorts of desires. I took it to heart through seven years of infertility. If I delight in the Lord, He will give me a baby. And I wanted a baby so much that I forced myself to be “happy, happy, happy” in God. But that is not the point of this verse at all. Like me, we tend to misunderstand the first part of the verse in the rush to get to the second part.

But the heart of this verse is – well – your heart. It is not delighting yourself in the Lord to get what you want. It is delighting yourself in the Lord so that He is your heart’s desire. And He will give you what you want – Himself. God is not about giving you everything you want. He is about giving you everything He wants for you. His presence, His peace, His Joy, His righteousness, His glory, and His home.

If your heart longs for God, your prayers will reflect His heart which loves you beyond measure and has a “good, pleasing, and perfect will for you” (Rom 12:2). When God is the desire of your heart, Beloved, you will have your heart’s desire.

*********************************************

P.S. (from bruce)  When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !!  If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ??  Here is the truth about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…   https://godsmanforever.com

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…

You say you are a “born again” believer…  BUT is your soul “ON FIRE” for the Lord ??  If not, open this link – https://godsmanforever.com/2020/08/01/are-you-a-christian-in-gods-eyes-and-on-fire-for-the-lord-or-not/