Our One Desire

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” Psalm 73:25

God should not only be our primary desire when we get to Heaven, but we must desire God on earth as well. There are many things we desire on earth. We want to have a good, fulfilling job. We want to have families, enjoy marriage and also to raise children, love them, and help them grow. We want to support our grandchildren if we have them, to care for them in unique ways. We want to develop lasting, meaningful friendships with the people in our lives. 

These are good desires, and I would even say they are Godly and Biblical. But even these should not be our primary desires. As hard as this may sound, you should not be living for any one of these desires. Your life should not be centered primarily around your family or your children. Your identity should not be found in being a father, mother, grandparent, or friend. Who you are and how you define yourself should not be in what you do for a paycheck Monday-Friday. If we do not build our families and careers and relationships on God, if we do not invest in these from an understanding that we desire God above all else and are seeking to glorify Him in these, then we are missing the point. 

Friends, it is easy to let Christianity become a part of your life but not your life. Many Christians go to church, go to youth camps, go to Christian clubs or Bible studies at school, pray before meals, or read a daily devotional without truly desiring God. 

I want to direct your attention to a couple of verses that I think about often. 

Colossians 3:3-4: For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

If you are in Christ, if you have been saved by His grace and are called by His name, He is your life. He is not a part of your life. He is not just your ticket to Heaven. He is not just a bumper sticker you put on your car, a post you share on Facebook, or a radio station you listen to. There is nothing wrong with these, but we don’t need to isolate Jesus to just these actions and only let Him have a part of our lives. No, He is your very life. Jesus is God. He created all things, and all things were created for Him—including you. Therefore, we must desire Him alone. The Psalmist prayed to God that there is nothing on earth He desires except for Him. Is this true of us? Or do we have other desires competing for God’s rightful spot as our one true desire?

Psalm 42:1: As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

If you struggle with this, as I know we all do, pray that God would make you desire Him above all else. Pray that God would take your eyes and your focus off of your earthly desires and onto Him. We won’t do this perfectly, but with the help of Holy Spirit, we can desire Him more than the things of earth.