After praying that prayer, I read the following:
"There are thousands today who need to learn the same truth that was taught to Nicodemus by the uplifted serpent. They depend on their obedience to the law of God to commend them to His favor. When they are bidden to look to Jesus, and believe that He saves them solely through His grace, they exclaim, "How can these things be?"
-Desire of Ages pg. 175
Those words spoke to my inner heart. Yes, love will compel us to work for God, and yes, faith without works is dead, but I needed to be reminded of the fact that God's grace alone saves me! If God clearly wrote down on a piece of paper exactly what he wanted me to do with my life, it would make it easier for me! My attitude has often been in my Christian experience "Lord, tell me what to do, and I will do it!" But God wants something deeper - He wants me to be still and know that He is God! He wants me to trust Him! The hardest lesson for me to learn is this lesson! My desire expressed in this prayer was what God wants me to do. Yes, I want to know God better, but at that moment my focus was more on what He wants me to do, rather than on knowing Him as my Savior, the Lord of my life, and my Best Friend!
I continued reading:
"Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition. He hungers for the sympathy and love of those whom He has purchased with His own blood. He longs with inexpressible desire that they should come to Him and have life. As a mother watches for a smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul."
-Desire of Ages pg. 191
As I read those words it dawned on me that Jesus just wants me to be with Him! What a beautiful picture of Jesus!!! He is a personal God! Sometimes in my friendships I will worry about what I am doing, and if I am really being the friend I should be. I tend to carry this same attitude over to my relationship with God as well, and yet, Jesus just wants me to rest in Him! He is actually longing for me to enjoy His presence! He wants me to admire Him and appreciate Him as I would do to a friend! Just as a friend enjoys being with you, God wants that friendship with us! He actually loves for me to just be there with Him and abide in Him! I can actually make Jesus happy and do His will just by praising Him, loving Him, appreciating Him, and giving Him my heart! I realized that God wants me to trust Him, and abide with Him moment by moment and just enjoy the present rather than worrying about the future. The most important work I can ever "do for God" is to trust Him fully!
No, it's not a completely new thought, it's not profound, or maybe it is, but it's actually very simple: Jesus wants my heart! Jesus wants your heart! He wants to be our very Best Friend! He longs for us to love Him with our whole heart! Will you choose Him today?
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