The Desires of Your Heart

I recently read the book The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  In it there was a great story about a lady who worked for the Dream Center in Birmingham, AL.  She said that one day, after praying, she felt the Lord impress on her to take a pair of wooly socks with her to work.  She thought that was really weird but was obedient nonetheless.  One of the prostitutes that they minister to was lying on the steps unconscious when she got to work.  After coaxing her into consciousness the lady asked “What can I do to help you? What do you need?”  Her response? “I wish I had a pair of wooly socks.”

This example was used in the book to show how God can use you and to have faith but another thought occurred to me this morning.

God knew her heart’s desire even before she did and was prompting other people to provide it for her even while she was unconscious.

Surely she had no idea what her heart’s desire would be because she didn’t even know that she would become unconscious and wake up at the Dream Center.  If you had told her the chain of events that were going to happen and would have tried to figure out what she would want when she woke up I bet she wouldn’t have even known.

Only God knew what her heart’s desire would be in that moment because your Creator knows you best.

Another thing to point out is that God did not force wooly socks to be her heart’s desire when she woke up.  Rather He knew that she would want them because He knows her better than she knows herself.

Furthermore he provided people and the socks to be there for her.  How random is that? How awesome is God that he knows the deepest parts of our hearts and is mighty enough to give it to us?

The verse that comes to my mind is Psalms 37:4 “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Oftentimes we quote only the second part of this verse when we think of things we want. And certainly it is the Lord who gives us way more than we deserve.  However, I think we miss out on the first part of the verse.

Delight in the Lord.

He is enough.  You’ll find that when you delight in Him and He alone is enough, He starts blessing your life with things you have to remember you wanted because they pale in comparison to Him.

Now you’re extraordinarily blessed.

Not only do you have the blessing and love of God and have recognized He’s enough, but He gives you the desires of your heart which aren’t as important to you because you’re overwhelmed by His love alone.

Trust that the Lord knows your heart’s desires.  Trust that He is able to give them to you. Delight in this trust in Him.

Psalm 62:11-12 “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.  Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.”