Reorienting Our Desire

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.”

— Psalm 73:25 ESV

Today we are looking at the verse right before yesterday’s verse. The psalmist says, “There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” I pray that our hearts are swept up in those words. I hope that our soul responds with a yes when we read this text.

Just like the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, there are conditions in our lives that steal away the freedom to desire God and produce good fruit. God has made himself available through the blood of Jesus and by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, but we sometimes miss it.

As we walk with God, he makes us more like him—more holy. Even the holiest of saints can get interrupted at times. Things happen in life that rock our world. Temptations creep up unexpectedly that we have to overcome. We may discover one day that there is yet another layer of the onion being peeled back, and there is more to surrender.

As good as it is to have the grace of God, sometimes following Jesus is just grueling. Not because God is limited in his power, but because overcoming the flesh is no snap of the fingers. Surrender is simple, but because it is a spiritual death, it means it takes time.

That is why finding truth in verses like Psalm 73:25 is so important. No matter where we are in our journey of surrender and holiness, we have access to worship and prayer. We can pause in the middle of our morning, afternoon, or evening, and give thanks. We can remember that God is the one that I desire, and we can center our hearts on that truth.

God, through his word, has equipped us with the revealed truth that we need to walk in freedom. I understand that all of us have a battle to overcome today. If you don’t see your battle, you are either incredibly blessed or covering your eyes. What if we fought from the victory of the truth we have in Jesus?

God’s kingdom is based on grace, not works. That means that the love he has for you, the acceptance he offers you, and the grace he provides are not contingent on your ability to be perfect. It is actually the opposite. God gives grace because he knows we need it to step into deeper freedom. Part of Abiding Daily is taking advantage of this pattern to move into freedom.

Something about meditating on verses like these reorients us to the truth of God over our lives. We need to stay centered and rooted in him to continue on the path of abiding and freedom. Whether your heart jumps at this verse or not, you have an invitation to pray through these words, meditate on them, and ask God to deepen your desire for him.

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