where waves grow sweet

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

When praying for a friend a few years ago, I had a mental picture of an arrow flying through the forest and hitting a target in the distance. I recognized the arrow as the movement of our life, aimed by our focus, and released by our will. There were countless directions to aim but the perfect will of God, as represented by the target, was the ultimate goal and highest intent for the arrow.

The space between was sovereign. This holy place between the bow and target – our will and the will of God – where every need and every true desire is fulfilled. It was exhilarating to watch the arrow speeding purposefully through the air toward the target, without anything to impede its movement. It was dynamic and beautiful.

At the time of our conversation and prayer, this friend really wanted to get married. It was a good and earnest desire, and one God undoubtedly wants to fulfill. But as this picture was playing out, I saw the arrow heading toward a tree that stood to the left of the target. As long as her focus and, as a result, her will were aimed toward marriage, she would hit something – maybe even what she wanted – but miss the target.

If we aim at anything besides God himself, we may get the thing we’re seeking but it will never satisfy. We may get marriage, but our spouse will not fill our heart, meet our needs, or complete us in the ways we thought they would. We may get success but find ourselves just as empty, lost, or lacking in identity. We may improve our financial standing, but we will not find the security we anticipated. We’ll actually find the opposite. Like Edmund’s turkish delight in the Chronicles of Narnia, our hunger will be increased rather than sated; our desires magnified rather than satisfied.

All we are truly seeking is fulfilled not in things, but in the person of Jesus Christ. This is not to say He doesn’t use people, material things, and intangibles as life-giving and very satisfying gifts. He loves to do this. I’m blessed beyond measure through the relationships, job, material provisions – and even recreation – He’s given me.  But we have to understand that it is never a person or object itself that satisfies us, but the Spirit of God. We can appreciate the gifts and enjoy them fully, but the moment we start looking to them rather than the Giver to fulfill us, we will become frustrated, discontented, and disillusioned. Because we were created to be fulfilled by only One, and everything we ever wanted or needed is found in the sacred space of His beating heart and perfect will.

Blessed Is The Man [Click Here to listen] [This is a song by a wonderful friend, Marty Goetz, from the album Sanctuary – available on iTunes.]