Desire (noun): a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen; synonyms include wish, want, yearn, crave, hunger, thirst, covet, long for, aspire to, hope for
As I’ve been exploring the word of “Desire”, I found myself frequently replaying a popular song from the 80s…can you guess it? I still haven’t found what I’m looking for by U2. Even though the word “desire” isn’t in the song title or anywhere in the lyrics, I’m not sure I can think of a song that better encapsulates the feeling of desire. The lyrics are a written as a lament, a cry, an expression of the human struggle that no matter what we try or do, satisfaction is not found in this world. Our satisfaction must come from somewhere else.
For an interesting – gospel – rendition of the song, check out this YouTube video: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Now that this tune is bouncing around your brain too, let’s take a closer look at the word DESIRE. The word likely brings immediate images to your mind, or even stirs up something in your heart. Desire – to want, yearn, hunger, thirst, hope for.
Who has experienced desire? Easy answer: Everyone.
How do I know that?
God created us out of his own desire and placed in us a desire for Him.
My exploration into the word DESIRE took me to scripture and to a book called “The Journey of Desire” by John Eldredge. As I combed through the Bible for insight into this word, I found some answers to my questions…
What is NOT appropriate to desire?
- My neighbor’s house, belongings, possessions, spouse (Deuteronomy 5:21)
- “Sinful” desires (1 Peter 2:11)
- Drunkenness, immorality, debauchery, dissension, jealousy (Romans 13:13)
- Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, the pride of life (1 John 2:16)
- “Evil” desires of youth (2 Timothy 2:22)
- Getting rich (1 Timothy 6:9)
What are the consequences of misdirected desires?
- Fights, quarrels, anger (James 4:1-2)
- Love for the Father is not in you (1 John 2:15)
- Ruin and destruction (1 Timothy 6:9)
- Flesh and Spirit are in conflict (Galatians 5:17)
- Death (Romans 8:6)
- Inability to submit to God’s law or to please God (Romans 8:7-8)
- Trapped (Proverbs 6:19)
What does God desire?
- Righteousness (James 1:20)
- Mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13, Hosea 6:6)
- Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
What is the cry of my soul?
- Earth has nothing I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25
- My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. Isaiah 26:9
How do I satisfy the desires of my heart?
- Fear the Lord (Psalm 145:19)
- Take delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4)
The messages I found in Eldredge’s book aligned with the scripture study. Some very insightful and impactful quotes from the book include these (some are slightly paraphrased for brevity):
“The longing for life within us seems incongruent with the life we find around us. What is available seems at times close to what we want, but never quite a fit. Most people have abandoned the journey, lost heart – they are camped in places of resignation or indulgence, or trapped in prisons of despair.”
“Our desire becomes insatiable because we’ve taken our longing for the Infinite and placed it upon finite things.”
“The Christian is called the life of holy longing. To live in thirst is to live with an ache. Every addiction comes from the attempt to get rid of the ache. In a soul that will live forever, there is an infinite void that nothing can fill but an infinite, unchangeable being.”
Reflecting on these teachings from the Word and Eldredge’s book, led me these realizations:
I have these occasional overwhelming feelings of restlessness, intermingled with a strong wave of loneliness, and now I have a name to put to this: DESIRE. A gift from my Creator, planted in me before birth, so that I would seek Him. .
My soul longs for God – a desire so intense that only an encounter with the maker of my soul will satisfy. His Presence is the only true refreshment for my thirst. His Love, Mercy, and Grace meet my deepest desire. No other thing will satisfy me the way He does. Those false idols separate me from Him, distract me from His Love, lead me astray from the one thing that satisfies…a relationship with Christ.
The better way to respond to a feeling of desire? Seek union with Christ! Go to Him in prayer. Fill my mind with His Word. Sit still in His Presence. Go be His hands and feet to someone hurting.
The key isn’t to abandon our desire, nor to distract ourselves from desire, but to use it to fuel our journey of life.
To direct it towards a hunger and thirst for righteousness. To allow vulnerability. To live with passion instead of apathy.
The heart’s desire is a precious thing, a gift from God to be guarded and protected!
When we neglect or deny this desire, or when we let it wander aimlessly, we get trapped in sin and miss out on the abundant life we were made to live.
O Creator,
Our hearts are…
vulnerable to sin until we take refuge in Thee.
Captive to idols until we surrender to Thee.
dull and listless until we worship Thee.
Restless and broken until we come home to Thee.
May we desire Thee first,
Fiercely,
and forever.
Amen