Great Desires

Psalm 27:4

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

Nobody does anything in life or for God without desire. Desire is the yearning in the soul to see something happen. David said, One thing have I desired of the LORD. David accomplished great things for God because he had desire. God felt that desire was so important that He mentioned the word desire or desired one hundred sixty-one times in the Scriptures. Psalm 27 shows six worthy desires you should have in your life.

First, have a desire to serve the LORD your entire life. David desired to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of his life. Nobody has ever served the LORD their entire life without a great desire to serve Him. Serving God starts with desire. You will certainly fail to serve God if you have no desire to serve Him. It is a great desire to want to serve the LORD your entire life.

Second, have a desire for God’s protection in times of trials. David desired for God’s protection in the time of trouble. There is nothing wrong with desiring God to protect you in hard times. If you are serving God, having a desire for God’s protection in troubled times is a desire that wants His protection so you can keep serving Him.

Third, have a desire to win. David said in verse 6, And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. If you are serving God, a desire to win is a desire for God to win. There is nothing wrong with having a desire to win. In fact, if you have no desire to win, you will accept failure and stay down when knocked down. There ought to be a fire in your gut to win so that Christ can win through you. Get a great desire to win in all you do for God and accept nothing less; that desire to win will keep you striving for great things for God’s sake.

Fourth, have a desire for God’s mercy in times when you sin. David knew he was a sinner at best, and he desired for God to be merciful to listen to his prayer of repentance when he sinned. You ought to desire God’s mercy. It is not that you are planning to sin, it is knowing that you are a sinner at best, and you desire God’s mercy to listen to your prayer of repentance you pray when you do sin. Having a desire for God’s mercy in time of sin challenges you to get up after you have sinned.

Fifth, have a desire for God to teach you His will for your life. David said in verse 11, Teach me thy way, O LORD. You will never find God’s will for your life if you have no desire to find it. Having a great desire to find God’s will is what will cause you to do what you know to be His will from His Word, which will result in you finding God’s will for your life. A desire to find God’s will for your life will keep you from accepting any other endeavor for life other than God’s will.

Sixth, have a desire to be courageous. David ends his list of desires in verse 14 by saying, Wait on the LORD: be of good courage…. It takes courage to live by faith; therefore, a desire to be courageous is a desire to attempt great things for God by faith. You will never attempt great feats of faith if you have no desire or courage to do it. Having a great desire to be courageous is what will move you to attempt great acts for God by faith.