When we want, need and have
nothing but God, our lives finally agree and desire is quenched. That, of
course, is the theory. Shelving our desire is much harder, and it’s only
sustainability achieved when we learn to surrender to the Spirit of God in our
moments of temptation. Even then, many find themselves betwixt in their desires
and hopelessly given to their sin. We all suffer suchlike however maximally or minimally.
Desire is a pawn in the hand of so
many evil forces that contort the need in our desire past desire’s fulfilment.
So, what makes the theory of
desire stabilisation more practical? Two critical factors come into play: the
moment and the power encapsulated in God’s Spirit.
The Moment And Power
Subjects as these—control over
desire—are subjects of the moment. We can only control our moments, and, only
truly, in the power of the Lord.
Beyond these two is eternal
frustration. When we attempt to control more than just the moment, by planning
ahead too much or by remaining bitter about our pasts, for instance, or when we
do things under our own steam, not resting on God’s power, we doom ourselves to
failure.
When we start out with the desire
to control life, first we must reconcile a solemn surrender before God. Needing
nothing but God is wholly contingent on surrender.
Otherwise we are dreaming.
***
When we want and need nothing, in
that moment, because that’s all we’ve got control over, we’ve agreed we have
nothing, in that moment, but God. More than this, we agree that God is right to
his Word; everything, bar nothing, is insignificant in comparison to the Lord
of creation, life, eternity.
Yet, this is a hard thing to
accept. Do our families, our possessions, our jobs, and everything we hold
dear, mean nothing? Of course not. God knows we need these things. But ‘need’
becomes a very abstract concept about now. We begin to shift around on our
seats, nervously squirming because our concepts of need are challenged.
We need nothing but God, but God
knows we need more. Still, we’re given to guilt for desiring things, both good
and bad. We may forget that God is our Provider—Jehovah Jireh.
***
Needing nothing but God infers
control over our moments—for nothing else reigns over us. Needing nothing but
God requires surrender. And when we surrender we realise that God has already given
us everything we need.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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