I love the ocean. It is a place of peace and rest to me. I love to just sit and listen and watch the waves as they break on shore. Mountains are great, and I always see the majesty of God in them, but the ocean, ah, that is the place I long for so often.
At the ocean I also think of those stories where someone finds a bottle washed on shore with a note. And, I remember those fables where someone finds a “magic lantern” and accidentally rubs the sides only to find a genie appear that grants three wishes. Ever wonder what your three wishes might be … win the lottery, find true love, start 2020 all over again?
I do not think I will ever find a magic lantern or be granted three wishes. I have, however, found the desires of my heart. I found them not by the ocean or in the mountains, I found them in the green pastures by the still waters. It was not a genie that gave me my desires, it was my gracious Good Shepherd.
“Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” [Psalm 34:4 HCSB]
Our LORD gives us our heart’s desires. It took me awhile to understand what that means. It does not mean He grants me the selfish wishes I might ask a genie, it means He comes and places within my heart His desires for my life and as I grow to love Him, His desires become my heart’s desires.
I find that now instead of wealth or worldly security or fancy things, I simply want to love Him and be loved by my LORD and Savior Christ Jesus. I want to do the things that please Him, hear Him call me His friend. I want to bring others to Him and remind them of the wonderful power and grace they find in His Spirit. I want to see my world touched by His love, mercy, and grace.
Those were never my desires before knowing Him. They are my desires now. Christ Jesus, my Master, gave them to me and I cherish them above all else. Amen & Amen.
