What Does God Want From You? - Girlfriends in God

November 7, 2017
What Does God Want From You?
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth

Cease striving and know that I am God, (Psalm 46:10 NASB).

Friend to Friend

Sometimes I think we’ve made our relationship with God far too difficult and confusing. We strive so hard to draw closer to the heart of God. And all the while, God’s outstretched hand is reaching to draw us in.

For more than half a century, I have been striving, pursuing, and seeking God. And like a cat chasing her tail, I’ve been going in circles.

Circling in the wilderness with the Israelites, if you will. Saved from slavery, for sure. Headed to my own personal Promised Land, hopefully. But somehow stuck in the wilderness wandering ever circling but not quite reaching Jordan’s shore.

And I am not alone. Statistics show that one of the top desires of Christians is to grow closer to God. During a recent poll, 65 percent said they were declining or on a plateau in their spiritual growth. On the other hand, Peter wrote: “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

We have everything we need to experience the ever growing, continually maturing, abundant life, so why aren’t we? Why are most of us languishing on the desert plateaus of mediocrity and complacency? Why are most of us satisfied munching on the predigested truths of teachers rather than pulling up to the banquet table and feasting with God at a table set for two?

“God, what do you really want from me?”

I’ve pondered that question since the genesis of my relationship with Christ. Perhaps you have too. When you boil down all the water from the diluted soup of questions men and women have simmered in their heart through the centuries, this is the one question left in the pot.

And somehow, we feel that if we could answer that one question, we would discover why that glory ache persists and how to satisfy our yearning.

I had asked the question a thousand times, but one morning, I got quiet enough to listen. And then, in the stillness, He showed me that my busy sisters and I have been asking the wrong question.

Rather than ask God what He wants from us, we need to ask Him what He wants for us.

I meditated on Acts 17:28 throughout the following year after the day God whetted my appetite with the possibilities wrapped up in those eight little words: In Him we live and move and have our being. I came to realize that what He wants for us is to sense His presence, experience His love, and delight in intimate relationship as we live and move and have our being in sacred union with Him. And when we do, He opens our eyes to His glory all around and the ache for something more is soothed.

So today, I encourage you to be still. Just get quiet. Breathe deeply. Jesus in. Worries out.

Don’t make your faith about what God wants from you, but what God wants for you.

Let’s Pray

Lord, open my eyes to see and ears to hear. Show me glimpses of Your presence as I live and move and have my being in you. And help me not to miss it!

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn

Read Psalm 46 to put today’s truth in context. The NIV version says it this way: Be still and know that I am God.

Have you ever asked God what He wantsfrom you?

Have you ever asked God what he wants for you?

Now, I want you to do just that. Ask God what He wants for you and then pay attention.

More from the Girlfriends

Have you been asking God, “What do you want from me?” If so, you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not what God wants from you, but for you! He wants you to experience His presence on a daily basis…right in the middle of your busy, messy day. Open your eyes to see God’s fingerprints and hear His voice as you learn about God’s lavish response to your ache for something more. A Sudden Glory is all about how to experience an intimate relationship and sacred romance with Jesus as never before. (Includes a Bible study guide.)