I think that many times God answers our prayers according to our heart’s desire rather than what we ask for because we think it will meet our heart’s desire.

Besides telling God how He can meet our needs, we often ask for things that will make us comfortable where we are instead of transforming us. We want to be comfortable in our crippled conditions. We beg for our idols! What patience, persistence, and love He has!

Many years ago, I experienced this when I was going through infertility and praying to become pregnant. I finally realized that the desire of my heart was to be a mother, and He granted that desire through adoption – twice.

Most recently, I have seen how I prayed for some things for years that were most definitely not the way to get what my heart desired. I prayed to have an insight or experience that would change me, that would make me good, that would make me strong, that would cause me to love Him more and obey Him immediately and completely.

He granted me many experiences and insights, but none of them accomplished that. I see now I was asking for things that would make me sufficient without Him. And for all those years I was praying, He was moving me from independence to dependence. He was teaching me to glory in weakness (a very hard task for me). He was helping me to see that He is the treasure. He is the inheritance. He is my heart’s desire.

How awesome for Him to not be swayed by my understanding of what I needed and to persistently work to fulfill the desire of my heart. All along I wanted to know Him and love Him, please Him, and rest in Him!

Rom. 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (More than we could ask or imagine!)

We will never be able to thank Him and praise Him enough. And if I see that now, how much more when I see Him in glory and realize more fully all He did, all it cost Him, and what love caused Him do it!!