Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

                                                                                                   Proverbs 13:12 

Today: Read Proverbs 13

We all need hope. Our passage today reminds us that hope deferred “makes the heart sick.” But just as the postponing of hope brings disappointment, a desire fulfilled brings life. David writes about this in the Psalms. Consider the following statements regarding desire:

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

                                                                                                   Psalm 37:4

O Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad, and in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! You have given him his heart’s desire, and You have not withheld the request of his lips. 

                                                                                                         Psalm 21:1-2

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

                                                                                                Psalm 145:17-19 

Scripture establishes that having desires is a part of life. As we delight in God, He will give us the desires of our heart. David testifies to this truth as He proclaims that God had “not withheld the request of his lips.” God will fulfill the aspirations of those who reverently and respectfully fear Him and call upon His name. These truths all point to the fact that having desires and seeing God fulfill them is part of His design for this life. This truth is echoed in Jesus’ teaching about asking, seeking, and knocking. Consider the following: 

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

                                                                                                   Matthew 7:7-8 

As we continue to ask, continue to seek, and continue to knock, we will receive, find, and see the door open. Everyone who asks will receive. To the one who continues to seek God, he will find. And for the one who continues to knock, the door will be opened to him. These declarations reinforce the truths found in the Psalms and Proverbs that fulfilling desires is a part of what God delights in doing. Therefore, it is not wrong for us to have desires, but our longings should be consistent with those who delight in God, fear Him, and call upon His name. The Bible reminds us that our aspirations should not merely revolve around material possessions or physical pleasure. Consider the following:

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 

                                                                                                     Hebrews 13:5 

Here are two vitally important things to remember when bringing our desires before God. One is that we are to make sure that we are free from the love of money and secondly, we should be content with what we have. These two truths will help keep our longings rooted in God-honoring things rather than things that promote self-indulgence. But if we still need a word on why we should guard against greed, consider the following:

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 

                                                                                                1 Timothy 6:10 

Haven’t you seen examples of this in life? As we make money our priority, other things accompany that desire. Money brings with it the threat of all sorts of other evil activities and pursuits. The love of money can also cause a believer to wander away from the faith. This wayward living brings with it many sorrows and grief. We should take heed to these instructions, keeping our lives free from the love of money. James includes this thought as he writes about why we ask but do not receive. Consider the following: 

You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

                                                                                                James 4:2b-3 

Sometimes we do not receive from God because we simply do not ask. But there are other times in which we may request something only to find that the appeal is denied because we are basing our request on material wealth or pleasure. So our desires should be rooted in godly pursuits and kingdom treasure.

But all of this talk about wrong desires should not overshadow the reality that God loves to “give us the desires of our heart.” The Psalms, Proverbs, and the teaching of Jesus all give us permission to have aspirations and to understand that those who love God will see those longings fulfilled. When hope is absent, we suffer, but when a desire is fulfilled, we are given life. Live today pursuing things that will bring honor to God and help in building the kingdom!