What Do You Want?

"If you would just be content being single, God would send you someone."

At this point in my life, this statement is patently ridiculous. I don't know if it even warrants an analysis, but just in case you're curious about why I think it's completely untrue, I've actually already blogged about it.

All that said...

I still find myself hesitant to actually admit my desires and pray for what I really want when it comes to my love life.

Many months ago, as I was praying for My Future Husband, I caveated my prayer something like this: "hey God. I'm going to pray for my husband. I don't know if I'm ever going to get married, but if I do, that's who I'm praying for. I'm not saying that I expect you to do anything in that area of my life, but if you do, then this is my prayer. Okay. I don't want to pray this every time, so just keep this as our standard agreement."

As much as I am loathe to admit it, and as much as I will "lovingly lecture" anyone who expresses any form of needing to be content as a pre-requisite for anything, I think I am still hedging my bets in some way.

Desire is a good thing. There is something in our desires that points us to God and what he has for us. Unless we are desiring something sinful, there is so much value in recognizing our desires and bringing them to God. There is no desire that is too small or too big to lay at the feet of our Father.

Even more, the Holy Spirit will actually transform those prayers that we bring into us asking for what we would ask for if we knew everything God knows.

Okay, complicated. Let me unpack it.

1. God knows everything that is going to happening.
2. God is working all of those circumstances for my good and his glory.
3. Ultimately, I want what is best for me, and to glorify God.
4. If I didn't have the Holy Spirit, it would be hard to pray for what I want, because I don't know what the future looks like and I could be asking for the wrong thing. ("What if I ask God for job A, but the industry job A is in is about to take a downturn and I would get laid off?" "What if I ask God to help Mr. Dreamboat fall in love with me, but that would take my life down the wrong path?")
5. The Spirit turns what I actually pray for into what I would pray for if I knew what was for my best. "We do not know what to pray for as we ought... the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26,27)

So freedom. We can come to God as we are, without trying to contort our desires and what we want. We can just lay them at his feet.