by Jamie Ivey
“The truth is, You are the Center— and everything revolves around You. So I need to make my plans tentatively, seeking Your Face and Your will in all that I do. This is actually a win- win situation. If things go according to my plans, I can thank You and rejoice. When my desires are thwarted, I can stay in communication with You and subordinate my will to Yours—trusting that Your way is perfect.”
– Jesus Listens, June 6th
There was a time in my life when I desperately wanted God to give me the desires of my heart, and I was almost certain He would because I had followed Him into an uncertain place like He had asked me to.
Right timing
In 2011, I was a stay-at-home mom to my four kids with no job change on the horizon when suddenly I found myself in a brand-new career as a morning show host at one of the local country radio stations here in Austin. It was the dream job I never knew to dream of. But it was short-lived because my kids needed me more than ever, and I felt that God was asking me to lay it down, so I did.
One year later, an opportunity popped up to get back into radio. I felt so seen by God, and I just knew that this was my chance. My desire had never gone away. I longed to get back behind a microphone and on the radio. But as I considered the opportunity, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing, and after much discussion, the job wasn’t available anymore.
Why the desire?
I had made an internal deal with God when I quit the radio station. I would follow Him and lay down this career, but I asked Him to please see me and allow my desire to become a reality one day. I thought the second opportunity a year later was my “one day,” but then it was gone. As the months and then years went by, still with no path back into the world of radio, I noticed a change. I didn’t desire that career as much. When we begin to desire what God wants for us more than what we want for ourselves, our desires begin to change.
As I longed to get back into radio, I began to reflect on why that desire was so intense. Was I desiring this job to find my identity? Was I desiring this job to complete me as a person? Was I desiring this job to prove that I had worth? The answer in the early days was a most definite yes. But by the grace of God, He began to change my heart, and this desire decreased to an appropriate size in my life.
All-consuming desire
But before that change, it had been all-consuming. All I could think about was God giving me whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. God doesn’t work that way, and there’s no joy in following Him that way. As I leaned into God more and more, I found that I still had the desire, but it was no longer all-consuming. I stopped basing my faith in God on Him granting me this desire. And incredibly, I didn’t feel any less loved by Him because this desire wasn’t coming true for me. When we have the right response to our desires, we can get it together—even when those same desires are unmet.
The heart of every good desire is a deeper desire that can only ever be met by God. Dr. Curt Thompson calls this deeper desire “a longing to be known.” We long for that connection, that identity, and that purpose in life that can only be found in one place. The great news for believers is that we already have it! Our Father knows us fully and deeply. He knows our desires, and He wants our whole hearts. He knows everything, and He’s asking us to give Him everything.
Desires are not ultimate
As we seek to have the right responses to our desires, we look to Jesus, who always responded rightly. When Jesus was hours away from being crucified, He prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). Jesus brought this desire to His Father—a request for the cup to pass from Him. Jesus knew His future—He’d been in on the plan from the beginning—and still, He brought this ask to His Father, and followed it with, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus presented His desire and then declared what was ultimate in His life—the will of His Father.
Jesus prayed a second time to God: “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). Scripture says He prayed this prayer three times before He walked out of the garden and into His accuser’s trap. Jesus, fully God and fully human, presented His desires to God. And when His Father told Him no, Jesus continued to do His Father’s will, loving God and loving others all the way to the cross. The right response to our desires is to present them to God and then continue to do His will, regardless of whether they’re met—not because what we want doesn’t matter or because what we want is bad, but because our desires are not ultimate. He is.
Adapted from “Why Can’t I Get It Together?” by Jamie Ivey. Copyright © 2024 by Jamie Ivey. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.harpercollinschristian.com
About The Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jamie Ivey is the creator and host of the popular podcast The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, a central gathering place for talking about life and Jesus, which boasts 45.5 million all-time downloads and 600+ episodes. Jamie is an author who shares gospel truths with raw, redemptive stories from her life. She loves to deliver God-empowering messages to women. Jamie and her husband, Aaron, live in Austin, Texas, with their four teenagers and two dogs.
