Part VII: Want leads to Discovery
Regardless of your personal feelings regarding President Barack Obama, of the many historical tidbits of his earlier years, one particular moment struck me as perhaps the most defining--the feeling of abandonment by his biological father. The loss shaped Barack’s perceptions, haunting and tearing at his heart, until he confronted the deprivation. Finally, after journeying to Kenya and examining his father’s life, Barack was able to put his heritage into perspective. His want no longer a numbing trek of longing, but the impetus bringing him to a destiny God prepared for him. Now he was able to give, in some ways become the son his father hoped he would be.
Limited by time, finances, and opportunities, Selena feared she would not find the wedding dress she hoped for since she was a little girl. She asked for God’s help. The store clerk brought five gowns to look at. She tried the first one on. Not only did it fit perfectly, no alterations required, but the dress fit every expectation of her youth. She gave credit to God who heard a bride’s fanciful request, a God who prepared for the desire of her heart even before she knew she had a need.
Like beauty and power, we tend to see our lack rather than our abundance. With our vision askew, we fail to recognize that God’s intervention transcends our physical appearance as well as our possessions. He knows what we need even before we realize our inadequacy and has already made arrangements to supply in ways and means we could never imagine.
Sometimes God puts want in our lives to propel us toward fulfillment. Like hunger, if we do not want, we do not seek supply. Deprivation is not the lack but the misalignment of what we perceive as lacking with God’s perfect will for our lives.
Sometimes our perceived want is the result of unrealistic expectations. How do we expect to become a brain surgeon if we can’t even tie a shoe? True God can and sometimes does reshape us for impossible tasks. However, sometimes we simply need to ask God if our wants are in alignment with His design?
Sometimes our want is a result of envy. We want the same gifts he lavishes upon others. Why does she get to have the Lincoln Town Car when I have to drive a five-year old Focus? We stand with our assortment of desserts begging God for the green lollipop, too. We forget that He gives to everyone according to His great abundance.
Barack Obama’s want led him to greatness. Selena’s want led her to prayer. We can choose to let our wants trap us in dissatisfaction, or we can turn our wants over to The Great Supplier, who will chisel and shape our wants to align with His plan. Then we may realize the gift Paul prayed for every believer:
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