04/13/2024
This morning my devotional reading was incredibly uplifting; E.M. Bounds instructed us not only on praying our personal desires, but on discerning our holy desire and dedicating ourselves to it. He made a couple of statements that I found most revealing. The first was his observation that desire "contains choice, attitude, and fire." The second was that "Serious thought, practiced before praying increases desire." Let’s dig into these two thoughts today.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 KJV
We know that there are various desires that seek to enter into our conscious lives; some are good, some are holy, and some are bad, or even evil. The first obstacle before addressing our desires in prayer is to determine which ones we will allow to guide or rule us. We must make a conscious decision which of these we will concentrate on in our daily lives, and which we need to weed out with the help of God. Then, once we have selected the good thoughts, we can begin searching God's word for those that would go a step further in the direction of righteousness, and are holy.
In our prayers we should ask for God's help in blotting out those bad or evil desires that are seeking harbor within us, we should ask Him to give ear to those which are good, but we should fervently seek His council and action towards obtaining those that are holy desires. This is where Bounds' second observation comes into play... “Serious thought.” We must direct our attention, study, and effort, towards understanding and, then praying for, our Father’s guidance towards His most holy desires for us… His will and our calling.
Let's read David's words in Psalm 27:4...
“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.”
Psalms 27:4 KJV
David has many needs and desires in his life but with God he has consciously determined that this one will be his most sought after... to dwell in the house of the Lord. He understands that obtaining this desire will take a lifetime, and yet he is determined to seek after it in prayer, worship, study, and the total application of himself. He does this because God has called him to do so, and it will become his lifelong prayer and focus. What is our holy desire? Do we have more than one? Are we seeking it with all our heart and asking God's help as we work to fulfill this, His will, in our lives?
Today I am thinking about someone’s holy desire that we are all familiar with, I am thinking about the life of Mother Teresa. This saintly woman had a holy desire to serve the poor and destitute in the slums of Calcutta, and to proclaim God's love to all humanity. Interestingly her prayers were often quiet. She had a holy desire and throughout her life it taught her, step by step, how to pray. Listen to her words and you can hear the progression of God’s will...
"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, and the fruit of service is peace."
As with David, and Mother Teresa, our holy desires are more than wishes or hopes; they consume us, and as we seek God's help in achieving them, He teaches us to be righteous and holy along the way. If we think that we don't have a holy desire in our lives, then maybe we should begin as Mother Teresa began... by being silent and listening for God’s call. Or like David who trusted completely in God’s Word for his victory.
There is an interesting consideration when it comes to holy desires... they are all founded in God's will for us. I once took a history class that required a term paper. The topic of each student's effort wasn’t self-determined, it was assigned to them. The professor handed out tiny slips of paper that contained various subjects, and whatever was on the slip you received became the subject of our paper. Sometimes I wonder if this isn't how God directs us. He gives us the subject of a holy desire and then works with us on developing it until at last it has grown into a robust offering... And somewhere along the way we have grown as well.
In our scripture verse David personally desired to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. By seeking after this holy desire he grew into a man of which God would say:
“And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'”
Acts 13:22 ESV
But even beyond David’s ability to fully understand God’s will, and his wildest personal dreams... David's seed eventually found fertile soil and grew to become much more than what he himself desired… it became the realized will of God, the promised Messiah… yes… it became Jesus Christ.
So this morning let's not seek out our own desires, but God’s holy desires and when we hear Him calling let’s say “Here am I Lord!” Maybe we will do this quietly like Mother Teresa, maybe in song like David, or perhaps in some other way that God leads us to, but most certainly it will grow into a burning and fervent need to achieve God's will. Then once we have fulfilled His desire, or reached the end of our days, we can stand before Him, and amidst our praises, thank Him for making us who we will have become during the course of this, His holy endeavor.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us into your service, and showing us your will in our lives. Thank you Lord for the holy desire you have kindled within us, and for the burning fire it has become within our hearts as we go about doing your bidding. Help us Father to resist our own personal desires as we concentrate and pray while bringing yours to fruition. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God, and no other can ever be as holy as you, but the desires you bring to life in us do, in some way, become holy as we obey you, and do your will. Lead us by your Spirit to your will, show us obedience in the example of Jesus, and speak your holy desire into us as a breath of life. Hear our prayers Father as we seek to find the holiness you intend for each of us to follow, and that taste of it which remains when we have breathed it in. Call us today Abba, and send angels to strengthen and aid us as we strive to please you in this our holy endeavor. Wash us clean and make us pure in the blood of your perfect lamb Jesus Christ as we set about saying “Here am I”, and learn to obey you as we, like David who sought to dwell in your house all the days of his life, and, like the Mother Teresa, who desired to remain eternally in your presence, long to remain in your will forevermore.
“There is no one holy like the Lord.
There is no one besides you!
And there is no rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2 CSB
Amen!
Rich Forbes