Read: Proverbs 13
Think: I always get myself in trouble with snacking. I’m hungry, so I eat, but then when dinner comes around I am rarely hungry. I tend to fill my belly up with average snacks and then miss out on a delicious meal. Like yesterday, I had snacked on a peanut butter sandwich and then could only eat half of my cheeseburger with a fried egg on top. Now maybe the peanut butter sandwich was a healthier choice, the hamburger was awesome…and I didn’t fully enjoy it.
Proverbs 13 talks a lot about longings fulfilled. Verses 4, 12 and 19 all mention this idea, so it must be important. First of all, I think it shows us that longings are okay, and even a good thing. It isn’t wrong to hope for certain things within God’s will. I long for the day when slavery around the world is abolished. I long for Christmas time to come so my whole family can be together. I long to know Jesus in a deeper way. I long to have a good community and friends to walk through life with me. These longings are good and God wants to satisfy those.
The other thing I notice about longings is that the longer you wait for them, the better it is when it is satisfied. If it has been a really long time since I have seen my mom I am SO excited to see her. However, if I gave her a hug tonight and see her the next morning, it would be great, but not quite like if I hadn’t seen her in months. Anticipation brings excitement!
Many times, our longings are satisfied when we work hard for them. If I have a paper due and whip it out super easy, it doesn’t feel that rewarding to finish. However, if I put lots of work and time into it and cannot wait to finish the project well, it is super satisfying when I turn it in.
One of the most important lessons I have learned about longings is in purity. I long to be in a devoted, awesome marriage with a man who is faithful to God and to me. Many people think this kind of love can be found in cheap romance and one night stands, or having a kiss from a boy they think is cute. I disagree. I think we forfeit the amazing satisfaction God will give us if we try to satisfy this craving in ways that are outside of God’s design.
It isn’t easy to pass up on something now because we know something better is coming. It isn’t easy to give up the peanut butter sandwich for a fried egg cheeseburger coming much later. It isn’t easy to work really hard on something that we cannot see the end to. It isn’t easy to say no to desires now and wait for them to be fulfilled by your husband later. However, Proverbs, the book of wisdom, tells us we can do it and we should do it. When a real longing is fulfilled it is “sweet to the soul,” “a tree of life,” and “fully [satisfying].”
May you be blessed as you wait for God to fulfill your longings and work diligently to achieve what he has set out for you to do.
Ask: What are my longings? Are they in line with what God wants for me? What areas of my life do I need to be working diligently in? Pray and tell God the longings inside your heart. He is the perfect person to be 100% honest with about what goes on in your head!
By: KVH
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