Our Wants

Nothing more clearly gets in the way of our relationship to God than our wants. And, sadly, many of those "wants" are not bad things. They are just things that we believe we must have, along with having God, in order to be happy. God withholds them from us because He knows that they will not be enough to make us happy until our only priority is Him. And on those occasions when God gives us that thing we want, it becomes our god and a very poor substitute for Him it turns out to be. The most miserable people in the world are those who have everything they want, but not an intimate relationship with God.
Won't be happy until you have a husband or wife and a family? Until you are satisfied with only Him, marriage will never bring you happiness. Ask the woman at the well. Look around your church.
Won't be happy until you have a little cottage off in the woods? Until you are satisfied with only Him, your cottage in the woods won't bring you happiness. Your constant companion in that cottage will be you--just as unhappy as you were before you got there. Talk about an irritating roommate!
Won't be happy until you have that job that makes you financially secure? When you get that job, you'll stuff your money into all the safe places you can find, and it will never be enough. Money can't buy you a relationship with God. It can only buy you things and short term friends--prodigal son friends. And nothing is more temporary than things. Have you ever tried to have a relationship with a car? A house? A stock portfolio?
No one desires your happiness more than God. He wants you to enjoy all the things He intends to give you and to find joy in each day. But until you have reached the point that none of those things are needed as long as you have Him, happiness and joy will forever escape you.
And it all boils down to one simple question. How much do you trust Him? Or how deeply do you believe He loves you? Doesn't He know you even better than you know yourself? Doesn't He know what you need? Isn't He the giver of all good gifts? Then, why is it that He hasn't given you what you want? Exactly. He knows that when you have it, you will be even more miserable than you are now because whatever it is won't be nearly enough to satisfy your wants. Only a growing relationship with Him can do that. And only when that relationship is the only thing on your list of "wants."

"As a deer pants after the water, so my heart pants for You, my Lord."