May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened,
that I may honor thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation.
~The Valley of Vision
When I read this prayer earlier in the morning, I found myself lingering on the line above. I never ask for my desires to become stronger. If my struggle with them is already constant, why would I ask for them to be enlarged? Clearly that would lead to my destruction. And maybe that is just what I need.
The desires I fear center around me. They focus on my satisfaction, pleasure, renown, and well-being. I am right not to pray for these to be enlarged. In fact, my prayer should be for these to continually shrink and weaken. And this becomes a reality as my deepest desires take over.
What are my deepest desires? I could write on this for days, but I will whittle it down to this command given by Christ, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37). With a new heart and the Spirit of God dwelling in me, this is my deepest desire. By loving God I will seek to bring Him glory and declare His praise to the nations. I will love others well and see my own selfish desires decrease. And as all this happens, even my joy will increase (John 15:10-11).
I am right not to pray for my desires to increase. However, I am wrong to forget that because of Christ the desires of my broken self are not the things I desire most. They fail to offer what they promise, while our God never does.
I think C.S. Lewis put it correctly when talking about the failures of human desires. It is the plight of all human beings, and a reminder that in Christ it has found its solution.
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. ~The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses
that I may honor thee by my entire dependency
and the greatness of my expectation.
~The Valley of Vision
When I read this prayer earlier in the morning, I found myself lingering on the line above. I never ask for my desires to become stronger. If my struggle with them is already constant, why would I ask for them to be enlarged? Clearly that would lead to my destruction. And maybe that is just what I need.
The desires I fear center around me. They focus on my satisfaction, pleasure, renown, and well-being. I am right not to pray for these to be enlarged. In fact, my prayer should be for these to continually shrink and weaken. And this becomes a reality as my deepest desires take over.
What are my deepest desires? I could write on this for days, but I will whittle it down to this command given by Christ, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37). With a new heart and the Spirit of God dwelling in me, this is my deepest desire. By loving God I will seek to bring Him glory and declare His praise to the nations. I will love others well and see my own selfish desires decrease. And as all this happens, even my joy will increase (John 15:10-11).
I am right not to pray for my desires to increase. However, I am wrong to forget that because of Christ the desires of my broken self are not the things I desire most. They fail to offer what they promise, while our God never does.
I think C.S. Lewis put it correctly when talking about the failures of human desires. It is the plight of all human beings, and a reminder that in Christ it has found its solution.
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. ~The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses
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