We all have desires. Have we made those desires known to the Lord? How have we made them known?
Are we like Bartimaeus, the blind man who sits on the side of the road begging every day - then he hears that Jesus is passing by - perhaps He can do something for him that no one else had been able to do. There's a huge crowd of people - it's noisy. In order to get Jesus' attention he has to reach deep down within - into that place of human need and desire and shout out . . . "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" His soul cry captured Jesus' attention. Jesus stands face-to-face with Bartimaeus and asks, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Mark 10:46-52)
Or are we like James and John and their mother - desiring for the best position of prominence in Jesus' kingdom - one on His right and one on His left - false ambition working against the life of the Spirit within us - rooted against selfish ambition, pride, fear, lust, self-protection . . . The author tells us it is riskier to refuse to acknowledge what is real within us. Whether or not we acknowledge them - their power only gets stronger the longer we repress them. Jesus responds to them with love and compassion, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?" (Matthew 20:23).
Or are we like the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda where Jesus' question about desire was even more pointed, "Do you want to be made well?" I've always thought that a rather strange question. Who wouldn't? Well, Jesus wants to know . . . How bad do you want it??? Listen to the paralytic's response to Jesus . . . "I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am making my way, someone else steps down in front of me." This Scripture has always conjured up sadness for this poor man - no one was noticing him or they were all ignoring him - not one person lends him a hand - they push past him to be "first in line" - no one shows him compassion or is willing to give him their spot so that he may be healed. OUCH! That hurts. Do I ever do that? And . . . isn't the paralytic's response to Jesus a lot like ours at time? Filled with excuses? How does Jesus respond??? "Never mind all that. Stand up, take up your mat and walk." (John 5:6-9) What happens next? The paralytic reached within himself to that place of deep desire and deep faith and did what he was told. Somehow, his willingness to follow his desire opened the way for him to experience Jesus' power.
So . . . the question for all of us is . . . How bad do you want it?