Why is God not giving me my heart’s desires?

Aug 5

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I got chatting with one of the parents at Tim’s school this morning about dream cars, and as we were leaving, he commented that the Bible says that God will give us the desires of our heart (Psalms 37:4), not our dreams. I walked away thinking/praying, “But aren’t they the same thing?” The more I meditated on it though, the more the Holy Spirit brought verses to mind that contradicted my own personal thinking.

And I came to the realisation that that is probably why a lot of people’s desires are not met by God – because they are originating in their own personal dream desires (mind) and not in their heart’s desires (spirit). The Bible is clear that there is a distinction between our mind and our heart. Consider the command to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Jesus repeated this command with the words heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37).

We know that our mind is controlled by our own will because we have control over what we think. Our (mind) dreams, then, are the product of our wills. If that be the case, what is “controlling” our hearts?

It is my opinion (and my opinion only at this point in time) that the heart of a person, whose life is not dedicated to God through Christ, is controlled by their own mind – their heart and their mind are one. Their own will is driving their heart’s desires. But, a person who has a personal relationship with Jesus, is being Spirit led. Their heart is being impacted by the Holy Spirit. Their heart’s desires therefore do not originate in their own will, but in the will of God. And when we pray in accordance with God’s will (what has now become our heart’s desire), He fulfils it – He gives us the desires of our heart.

my name is darryl
and this is what I have to say

PS – this is by no means a full and complete exposition of this topic. It is however, what simply came to mind. It therefore needs to be expounded and expanded more. But it is thought provoking none the less 😉

About Darryl Schoeman

My Personal Life : challenge leads to thought and thought leads to change More than the Apostle Paul, I can say that I am the chief of sinners (really really really). But I love God and I love the Bible. So I try to live my life with the constant realisation that God is PERMANENTLY with me (yes even when I sin), and seek His presence in everything that I do (except when I sin) and in everything that happens. I share this with others so that they too can believe it and then seek to live it.

Posted on August 5, 2011, in Biblical Philosophy, Christianity, Religion and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.

  1. Michelle | August 6, 2011 at 6:44 am

    Thank You, I really enjoyed this. Very thought provoking, a real insight!!

    • Darryl Schoeman | August 6, 2011 at 10:08 am

      Thanks for the comment Michelle. I was just so blown away when that comparison of heart’s desire and dream’s desire was put before me, that it kind of “consumed” me (and hence the blog). When I get the time, I want to research it more thoroughly. God bless.