I was having a conversation with a young man who had been in foster care for much of his life and had finally aged out of the system. He was trying to figure out what to do with his life. I asked him what his greatest dream was. His answer broke my heart:
“For nearly all my life I feel like I’ve just been waiting to be wanted.”
It was a painfully honest expression of the deepest longing of humanity. I’ve seen older foster children at adoption fairs looking longingly as prospective adoptive families passed them by for younger children. He continued,
“I want to be desired by someone so I know my life is necessary, I’m relevant, and I’m loved. This pain has dominated me for so long that I’m afraid to dream big. I have no idea who I am or why I matter—so—how can I possibly know what I want to do?”
He looked me in the eye and asked me,
”Do you have any idea what that feels like?”
I looked right back at him, took a deep breath, asked God to guide my words, and asked,
“Would you allow me to share my story of how I came to feel wanted? The story of how I came to find meaning, relevance, and to live in dreams bigger than I could have ever asked for or imagined? The story of how I came to live in my glorious purpose—which includes my being right here with you?”
He said,
“There’s something different in you..like comforting and peaceful…what is it?”
I said,
“That’s not me—it’s God.”
He said he’d heard of God, but never met anyone who knew Him. And so, the door was opened for me to share my testimony of how I was born again. I also shared my journey of the struggle and brokenness of trying to “find myself” instead of living surrendered to God. During our discussion, God guided my words and the fruits of the Holy Spirit—His supernatural peace, love, and compassion—surrounded us as we talked. Seeds of God’s Word were planted that day. A curiosity to know God sprouted within this young man. My prayer is that he comes to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I know God’s Word always accomplishes His purpose!
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11
My friend, I tell this story, because on some level, we are ALL waiting to be wanted in the same way that this young man expressed.
We long to be completely loved and have a supernatural purpose. Well, did you know that we are created in God’s image and He also waits to be wanted by those He created??? God desires us so much that He paid the ultimate price so we could be reconciled to Him. He waits for us to DESIRE a relationship with Him so He can satisfy our deepest longings! This beautiful message of His longing for us is woven throughout the entire Bible. For example, Isaiah wrote:
“Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him…He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.”
Isaiah 30:18-19
We need to abandon the shackles of our pride and shed our false ideas of what seeking God “should be” and—come to Him like simple, needy children.
We need to—need God—the way a baby needs his mamma.
Acknowledging our need for God should become our first prayer of the day.
When we allow God to become our greatest need—His presence becomes our greatest treasure.
A.W. Tozer wrote:
“The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.”
To remind me of my desperate need for God, I’ve rewritten the prayer by Tozer from his book, “The Pursuit Of God.” I want the message of this prayer to be my first thought every morning:
“O God, I have tasted Your goodness and I want to be hungry for more. The bankruptcy of my desire for You—fills me with despair. Help me want—to want You. I want—to be filled with a burning desire for You. I want—to awaken each day thirsting for YOU. Show me how gloriously good you are, O Lord, so that the eyes of my soul are opened to see that YOU merit my greatest desire. Let me hear You say to me, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Before I arise from my bed, turn my heart to desire you and—help me to follow hard after You all day. Let me see You as the light illuminating my path through the dark veil of this world. Teach me to love You, O Lord, with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. O Lord, I know when I am with You, I am wanted.”
When we grow to understand how much God desires us, we are no longer waiting to be wanted!
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith’s ministry Fostering By Faith, click HERE.
2 Responses
As always, a wonderful and timely message. I find myself wandering and waiting to be wanted, but wonder if I want to be wanted in the right way, by the right One. Thank you.
I 100% understand this—it’s a daily struggle to re-order what we love most and what we want! When the Lord is truly Lord of our life, our greatest wonder is in Him and He gives us all we need in every other areas…He reorders our loves so we love what He does and it sure does change our perspective about what we want! Blessings, my friend.