What do you want?

Jesus was the ultimate healer, physician miracle worker. He came into this world to awaken our soul’s desire to be in relationship with the Father. He came into this world to heal us and provide for us. But when people came to him to receive healing, he often asked them, “What do you want?” He’s God, so of course he knew what each person needed. A person can’t see, one would assume that’s what they wanted. Someone can’t walk, of course they want to be healed. So then why does he even ask what they want?

I think it’s because this question might just be one of the most relational, soul-awakening questions we can ever be asked. Do you ever ask yourself…what do I want?

People traveled from all over just to improve the possibility that they just might, maybe, see Jesus. I can sense the yearning in their hearts that they so desperately want to not just see Jesus, but have him notice them. Having no idea why their heart is drawn to this Man/God, but aching to look into his eyes and have him speak to them. And then he looks at them and asks, “What do you want?” I bet he/she had not even asked themselves that question, maybe ever, in their lives and here is this man, with eyes that seem to look into their soul asking them what they want. I know if I would have been standing in front of him and he would have asked me that question, I would have just wept. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about Jesus looking into my soul, longing to connect with me, to bless me, to heal me. I think this is the cry of my heart, your heart, everyone’s heart.

Christians, especially, often make decisions based on asking themselves “What is God’s Will?” which is a great question but I often wonder if maybe we should start with what we want? Do we not trust that what we want is what God wants? Jesus says ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. But what does that mean? I believe really getting what we want, fulfilling our deepest desires, starts with surrender. We must first surrender our wants and desires to God and allow him to fill it. People often try to fulfill their wants and desires without surrendering them to God and most, if not all, of the time, it just doesn’t quite measure up. People are exhausted from trying to fulfill their wants and needs without surrender. I believe that every time a broken, hurting person comes to Jesus for healing, he wants to heal them. He yearns to heal them. He aches to bless his kids.

I think people often live life flailing. You know, when you were a kid and you raced down a steep hill, you’re not really in control of yourself, you are just surrendering to the gravity. Flailing with the hopes you don’t eat it. Does your life feel like this? You are going somewhere but is it really where you want to go or are you just surrendering to the trajectory of life? Are you alert and oriented times 4? I am the first to admit that I don’t always get what I want. I think it’s unreasonable to expect that. We will struggle; that’s a promise. We won’t always get what we think we want. But if we never ask, or allow him to ask us, then how can we really experience life to the fullest? If we aren’t conscious enough of our desires, we will live a life of flailing. And if we don’t surrender our wants and desires to him, we never allow him to give us something more than we could imagine. We never experience true freedom.

Maybe you have asked yourself this question. Have you asked your family this question? Have you asked your spouse, your mom, your sister, your son, your daughter? If this is as powerful of a question as I think it is, then maybe this is how we serve one another. This is how we love one another. Listen to the hearts of every person in our lives and do what we can do provide. That’s what God does.

During the Christmas, we all make lists of “things” we want. We try to give our loved ones what they want but I wonder if we should take this one step further and ask the deeper “want question”. Relational gifts are often ones that are harder to give because they require more time and effort to fulfill. I challenge you: to be like Jesus is to give relationally. To ask the question “what do you want?”

So…what do you want?

Week 3

12/15: Samuel-1 Samuel 3 (Lamp)

12/16: David-1 Samuel 16 (Harp)

12/17: Hezekiah-2 Kings 18:1-8 (Tablets of the Law)

12/18: Josiah-2 Kings 23:1-30 (Book)

12/19: Isaiah-Isaiah 6 (Throne)

12/20: Jonah-Jonah, entire book (Whale)

12/21: Elizabeth-Luke 1:5-25, 57-66 (Dove)