Wishing


This morning was a good sleeping morning.  Our window was cracked and cool air flooded the bedroom.  As I lie in bed, warm under the covers, I watched for a while as a single star made its way across the sky.  I thought about the old verse, "starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight..." and I wondered what the Bible said about wishing.

So - this morning I made that my quest - and I was surprised at what I found...

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." - John 15:7 (NIV)

But I think that verse is a confusing one for a lot of people, because God is certainly not a Santa Claus of the sky as there have been plenty of people who have asked for things, and yet not received what they asked for.  Heck, even Jesus asked that the "cup" of his impending torture and death be taken away from him.

So this morning God is prompting me with a few thoughts about "wishes".

First - a WISH can be a positive impetus for change.  For example, "I WISH that I would lose 40 pounds - God please help me to do so."  If that wish includes goal setting and commitment on my part, and continued prayer and petition to God - it is a "good" wish.

But a WISH can also be a "bad" wish if we seek to give it precedence over God's plan for us.  Jesus knew that - and it is why after asking that the "cup" of his impending torture and death be taken away from Him, he said, "not my will but your will be done." (Luke 22:42)

Wishing is also wrong if it is directed toward something other than God himself.  For example, my "wishing upon a star" may have romantic appeal, but the star cannot help anyone.  Like everything else, that star was created by God, and only He can answer prayers.

Other cases of a "bad" wish are ones in which the object of the wish is sinful.  For example, wishing for someone else's spouse..."And you shall not covet your neighbor's wife.  And you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor's" - Deuteronomy 5:21 (ESV)

Or for more money than you need..."But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.  It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." - 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV)

No, God is not a sky-Santa who grants all of our wishes no matter how self-serving or wrong they might be.  But "wishing" for things like wisdom, spiritual gifts, and that God's will for our lives be fulfilled shows spiritual maturity and a willingness to be led and guided by the one who gave us our lives so that we may fulfill His purpose.




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