Yearningfeatured

First of all, I want you to conjure up a mental picture of a 2-year-old child who has a treasure in his or her hand that you want them to relinquish.  Trying to get that treasure out of that hand may have to include prying little fingers off of the treasure.  Hold on to that mental image and we’ll come back to it!

Sarah Young’s September 17 reading in “Jesus Always” defined the fear of God as “reverential awe, adoration, and submission to My will.”  After reading this, I started thinking about the word submit. 

Frankly, submit is not one of my favorite words.  It means I have to set aside my plans, my desires, my will and accept the plans, desires and will of God.  Romans 8: 5 says, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that sinful nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”  That sinful nature of mine is focused on me, not on God.  I’m like that 2-year-old with a death-grip on her treasure.  I am reluctant to relinquish what my wandering heart desires even if it is not what God wants for me.

Basically, it’s a trust issue.  Even though intellectually I know that God’s plans are perfect and mine are not, I fall for the deceiver’s lies that my way is best, and that God’s way will somehow suck the joy out of life.  I say I trust in God, but my actions don’t always convey that.  I begin to trust in my own wisdom instead of His.

I started thinking about what it would be like if I actually yearned (nice old-fashioned word!) for God’s will in my life.  To yearn is to have an eager and restless longing.  What if I was able to maintain my focus on Him consistently throughout my day longing to do His will?  What if the pronouns in my thoughts changed from “me” and “my” to “You” and “Yours”?  What would it be like if God didn’t have to gently pry my fingers off my treasured plans?  What would it be like if immediately embraced His plans and desires for me?

I am way to weak and wishy-washy to manage this under my own power.  It takes endurance to say “Yes” to God’s plans throughout each day.  I find it pretty easy to start the morning with saying the theoretical “yes” to God in my morning prayers.  But as the day goes along my “yes” turns to “no” as my thoughts revert to “me” and “my” instead of “You” and “Yours”.  The Holy Spirit is ready, willing and able to provide the strength and endurance that I need, if only I will ask!  Galatians 5: 26-27 says, “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

My prayer today is that I will yearn to yearn!  That with all my being, I will yearn to do His will and that He will no longer have to pry my fingers off of my imperfect and flawed plans and desires. 

That is my prayer for you as well! [jetpack_subscription_form]