Desired of all Nations
"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty." (Haggai 2:6,7 NIV)
"You alone are my heart's desire, and I long to worship you" ("As the Deer").
"Jesu, joy of man's desiring, holy wisdom, love most bright" ("Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring").
"Dear Desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart" ("Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus").
I didn't realize how many songs of worship portray Jesus as our "desire" until I started looking into this name.
"Desire" is not a neutral word. It conveys passion, intensity, and longing. Our secular culture has perverted it, perhaps, but here again, we see that Jesus is able to take every twisted thing and straighten it out into a line that leads us to truth.
"A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul" (Proverbs 13:19 ESV). Jesus is both the desire of every longing heart and the Fulfillment of that desire.
Yet even as I type those words, I think of the story of the little boy who was afraid of the dark. His mother told him he didn't need to be scared because "Jesus is here with you." To which her son replied, "Yes, I know, but I need someone with skin on."
I'm wondering: how does the Desired of all Nations want us to be Him "with skin on" today? How might He want to use us—skin and all—to fulfill someone's longing for comfort, encouragement, friendship, or hope?
I'm still working out the answers to these questions for myself, but one thing I know for certain is that when Jesus uses us to fulfill the desires of others' hearts, that fulfillment is sweet to their souls...and sweet to ours, too.
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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to tell me what you really think. Years ago, I explained to my then-two-year-old that my appointment with a counselor was "sort of like going to a doctor who will help me be a better mommy." Without blinking, she replied, "You'd better go every day." All of which is just to say I've spent some time in the school of brutal honesty!