I love fish! I always have. Catching them, studying them, eating them, taking pictures of them. Of all the animals I hope the new earth contains, fish are second only to dinosaurs.

When I was fresh out of high school, I felt God calling me to spend six months in a discipleship program across the world. But one thing holding me back was my newly resurrected aquarium obsession. This might seem weird, but I didn’t want to leave my fish. I knew they’d probably end up dead in the negligent hands of my brother/roommate. On the one hand, I wanted to follow God’s call into the mission field, but I also wanted to just be with my fish.

I finally resolved to go to South Africa. And I’m so glad I did! Not only was the whole experience incredible, guess what I got to do for ten afternoons straight during a training week? Snorkel in the nearby coral reef! I gave up my aquarium and God gave me his.

God knows each of our desires intimately, and He also foresees the best possible fulfillment of each desire.

It turned out that my desires were not really in conflict, after all. My priorities were. God already had the best possible plan of how to have me spend quality time with Him, and with a whole bunch of beautiful fish. Just in case you're curious, when I got back home, half of my fish had survived.

What God is really after is our heart — for you and I to get to know him better. He’s more than happy to throw in the fish as a bonus.

Dear God, I entrust my heart to you again today, remembering that there’s no safer place for it. You understand my desires better than even I do, and every motive behind them. Father in Heaven, I trust you to shape and to fulfill my desires in your perfect timing and in better ways than I could possibly imagine. Amen.

Go Deeper — It’s wise to read today’s verse alongside Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Spend five minutes today telling God a few of your deepest desires. Then conclude with a prayer expressing your commitment to keep Him first in your life.

Read Further — Not sure if you have a deep desire like studying fish? Read Building a Dream.



Tags: We Love Our Writers Psalm 37
Photo Credit: Matic Kozinc