We should ask ourselves, “Do I really need what I want?”
     We were born with a passion to have what we want, when we want it. That is the heart of our “sin nature.” We wanted our bottle of milk, when we wanted it. We did not care what our parents thought we needed.
     Eventually we were willing to give up our bottle of milk, but then we wanted other things. And then . . . more things. Throughout life we may add to the list of what we think we need in order to be happy.
     Many of us kept these same original feelings when we learned to believe that God could do anything. We began to tell Him what we wanted and “needed.” If He didn’t give us those things we may have doubted that He really could do what we “needed.”
     When hard times came and we could not help ourselves or find anyone who could or would help us, we again turned to God for help. But we so often resorted to our original feelings. We wanted what we wanted.
     Today we may still be clinging to that feeling of wanting God to do what we want or give us what we want. We may strive to believe that our prayers will be answered, but feel discouraged when things never change, or even seem to get worse.
    Jesus taught us by the way that He lived. He wanted nothing unless He was certain it was God’s will for Him. Although Jesus had the power to do anything, He wanted to first know God’s will before He acted. Even when He was faced with being deserted by His family and friends, and nailed to a cross, He chose to want God’s will. What an amazing example He gave us.
     Jesus’ disciples saw what He was doing but they did not understand it. They wanted Him to

stand up and fight the evil forces that opposed Him. They were willing to fight and die with Him
but they couldn’t understand simply trusting God to do what He wanted to do. They had our human nature that always wants what it wants.
     The disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus had promised them. Then they began their spiritual lessons that would help them accomplish the mission to which God was calling them. They too learned that God was always working for their good (see Romans 8:28). They believed that He had a plan for them and they trusted Him to work out His plan.
     I believe the disciples still had times of doubts and uncertainty, but they grew in faith. At times they were chained in prison but still rejoiced in the certainty that God was working for their good.
     Other Christians have learned to trust God when they were facing execution.
     We are tempted to doubt the truths that Jesus and His disciples taught us. We want to believe that a “good” God would give us what we need. Our human nature strives to convince God that we know what we need. We are drawn back toward our childhood feelings of wanting whatever we want.
     But the Holy Spirit is still drawing us to believe that God is always – in every situation – working for our eternal good. The more we believe Him, the more the power of the Holy Spirit will work in us just as the Holy Spirit worked in Jesus. We sometimes want God to take us down from our “cross.” We want Him to deliver us from our difficulties. But He may want us to be victorious in all our problems through the power Jesus died to give us. In Jesus we are victorious over everything. Over all things! That is the gift God wants us to receive.
     As we receive, our joy will continue to grow.