Dashing Devotional ~ The Desires of Your Heart

February 14th, 2013 - Dashing Devotionals

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
~Psalm 37:4
Guest Post Written by Emily Fairless
Valentine’s Day. You love it when you have someone to love, and you hate it
when you don’t. Valentine’s day means something different to everyone. To
some it is just a lame Hallmark holiday, to another it a great opportunity to
shower the one you love with admiration. To many, Valentine’s Day is another
reminder that you’re alone.
For this Valentines, I am blessed to spend it with my fiancé, but it wasn’t long
ago that I remember wishing, hoping, and praying that the Lord would send me
the one HE created for me. There were many days I was tired of waiting, sick of
crying, and wishing I didn’t feel so lonely. I’m sure there are many that are
alone and can’t relate, but others that may be saying, “YES! I know the feeling!”
So to those people, this is for you. This is my story.

Learning the definition of love

All through high school and part of college, I always in a relationship. Looking
back, there was something missing in all of them. I was so tired of the
rollercoaster of emotions that one day I made up my mind that I wouldn’t date
anyone else and that I was going to wait for my future husband. I began
seeking the Lord about my future husband and who HE had for me. I didn’t
want to date just to date, so I told myself the next person I was going to be with
was my future husband.
My perspective changed the day that I read the scripture found in Isaiah 54:5,
“For your Maker is your husband; the Lord Almighty is His name.” I realized
that no one could EVER love me the way the Lord does. He would NEVER leave
me, nor forsake me. I had a deep revelation in my heart that day that I needed
to learn of the Lord’s perfect love for me first and foremost. A love that is so
unconditional; not based on my performance, a never ending, and a never
changing love. I wanted to know my maker as my husband so that when I did
get married, that man would never be the ultimate source of my fulfillment,
worth, or identity. That began a three-year journey. Those three years were the
best years of my life, but also some of the most trying.
Ask Specifically
I began writing down very specifically what I desired in my future husband. The
Lord showed me in his word that I have not because I ask not and how he
delights in giving me the desires of my heart. I focused on the character traits
that I desired for my mate: generous, patient, sensitive, funny, caring, etc. I
began thanking God daily for this man. The more that I fell in love with the
Lord, the greater my expectations grew. When I learned of His character, I
knew of what I desired in my future husband.
Renewing My Mind
Some days were amazing as I learned God’s fulfilling love, but there were many
days that the enemy would lie to me that I would never find someone to love
me, my standards were too high, etc etc. Almost daily I had to renew my mind
to the truth of God’s word and cast down lies that I would never get married,
no one would love me, and so on. When fear would take over, I had to imagine
myself walking down the aisle. (Your imagination is POWERFUL and can truly
set the course of your life!) I would renew my mind to God’s word and speak
these scriptures out daily:
“Lord, I thank you that your word says in Psalm 37:4 that, “You delight in
giving us the desires of our hearts.” Your word promises us that, “You withhold
no good thing to those that love you.” –Psalm 84:11. I thank you that marriage
is a good thing and you will bless me with this gift of marriage. Psalm 18:22
says that, “A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from
the Lord.”
Being Steadfast
During this time there were guys that would approach me and I would wonder
if he was the one. After all, they were Christian men who loved the Lord. But
sure enough, there was a lack of peace I felt in my heart. I decided once again
to say “no” and continue on my path to who the Lord had for me. After all, I
knew the Lord would bless me for my patience and diligence in seeking him. I
knew this singleness could be one of the best times of my life, if that’s what I
believed. The Word says, “I would like you to be free from concern. An
unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the
Lord.” -1 Corinthians 7:32. I began changing my perspective and seeing this
singleness as a blessing.
There were many times during my singleness that people, even those most
close to me, would say to me, “How are you going to find someone if you never
go out? How will you find him if you don’t date?” “Are you waiting for the
mailman to show up and sweep you off your feet?” I would simply respond, “If
that’s how God will bring him, then sure! I knew if God created me so
intricately and detailed, he is creative enough to bring him in to my life. I didn’t
have to worry about how it was going to happen… I knew that the Lord had
that all planned out, every detail.
There were also people that would say, “Why don’t you just date so-and-so. He
loves the Lord and treats you wonderfully.” That would sometimes cause me
confusion and I would sometimes question the same thing. However, I knew
what I believed for and if he was anything less, it wasn’t the right one. I
believed for a man of God who knew his authority, who would pray for me, who
would fight for me when the enemy was attacking, and one who was strong in
the Lord.
I knew my story would be different than how this world does things. “Do not
conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his
good, pleasing, and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1-2
Prepare Me Lord
As I prayed daily for the preparation of my future husband, one day the Lord
spoke to me about preparing myself and that this was a time that I was to draw
close to the Lord, learn of his Word, who I am in Christ, and what it meant to
be a Godly wife. He showed me he wanted to do a work in me, to strip me of
hurts from my past. The Lord brought me to this quote, “Young women who
devote themselves to the Lord prepare themselves for the future by gaining
wisdom first, then stepping carefully when the time is right.”
I knew that I would get to that point where I didn’t need anyone to fill me and
that the Lord would be enough. I knew once I got to that point, the Lord would
bring him to me. One of my favorite quotes through this time was, “ A woman’s
heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to see Him just to find her.” -
Lucado

My Harvest
On March 17th I was apart of an event with a local evangelist, Chris Palmer. I
was asked to be apart of the team and greet guests as they came into the event.
I knew no one, and only recently met Chris. That morning my sister said, “Who
knows… maybe Chris will have a friend you’ll meet.” I just laughed her off. I
went with the simple intention of drawing closer to the Lord. The night of the
event, I was introduced to everyone on the team, including Chris’s good friend,
Brett. Before the event started, I asked Brett if he wanted any coffee to kill
time. The first thing I remember about Brett is how generous he was as he
bought coffee for just about everyone on the team. He opened doors, paid for
my coffee, and made me laugh the entire time. When the service began, Brett
was in charge of the set up and making sure everything ran smoothly inside
the service. However, Brett found his way to the front doors that night and was
continuously checking to see if I “needed anything”. He ended up neglecting his
duties and just couldn’t help but to stick around the doors with me. The hour
of greeting was filled with laughter and conversation.
That night my sister asked how the night went and I responded very shortly,
“Good! I met a lot of cool people. One of Chris’s friends had me laughing so
hard. I felt like I had known him my entire life.” I began walking away and she
responded, “Uhhhh… Who is this guy!?” Once again, I just laughed her off. I
didn’t think much of it.
Brett got my number that night to see if we could all hang out as a team the
following night. Although I turned down the offer, Brett and I began texting
very casually. After a month or so of us casually talking, Brett invited me to a
church service with him and Chris. As I sat by him that night, the pastor had
told us to lay our hand on the person next to us and start praying for each
other. Brett laid his hand on my shoulder and began praying for me. I couldn’t
get a word to come out of my mouth. I just cried. I cried with an overwhelming
sense of joy as I realized he could be the one. There was just a deep knowing in
my spirit.
Throughout the next couple of weeks as we grew closer, I prayed to the Lord
and asked him to confirm that I was to continue talking to him. I didn’t want to
date anyone for even a day if I didn’t know 100%. I opened my Bible to the
scripture that said, “You will be governed by peace.” That spoke volumes to me.
Although we often want God to speak to us in a loud booming voice from
heaven, typically the Lord speaks to us by giving us peace or a lack thereof. I
knew what a lack of peace felt like, for I felt it in all my past relationships. So, I
approached every single day with Brett… “Do I have peace today?”
As I got to know Brett, I was amazed daily how he truly was everything and
MORE that I had prayed for. He is one of the most caring, selfless, sensitive,
generous, loving, and handsome men I have ever met. He puts the Lord first
and truly pastors me and loves me as the Lord does. He loves me so
unconditionally. He showers me with love and makes me feel like a queen.
Every door is opened before I can put my hand on it. Not a day goes by without
him speaking his love to me. He prays for me with such power and authority
and encourages me with the Word. But you know what is cool? God has
fulfilled me in the past few years that I can honestly say that God is my source.
I don’t get my worth or fulfillment from Brett. His love is just a representation
of Jesus’ love for me.
It’s been just 11 months since the day I met Brett and I now have a ring on my
left hand to signify our soon-to-be life together. I truly believe God created
marriage as a good thing. The Word says, “It is not good that Man should be
alone; I will make him a helpmate.” –Genesis 2:18. “Two people are better off
than one, for they can help each other succeed.”-Ecclesiastes 4:9.
Trust Him
I pray that my story encouraged you today, wherever you are in your journey.
The Lord cares so much about every detail of your life. He put the desires in
your heart. The more that you seek Him, the more your desires will become
His. Don’t try to get ahead of God by trying to figure out how it is going to
happen. Trust that if He created this earth and everything in it in such
intricate detail, that he has your life planned and figured out. It will be beyond
anything you can ever dream, ask, or imagine. Our God is so faithful.