Your Wish is My Command

Wishes

My genie would definitely come out of
an epic lamp, such as this one.

What if you found a genie and he would grant you three wishes? (Why three, I don't know, but that's the generally accepted number of wishes right?) What would you wish for?

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been asked that, or times when I just thought about it randomly on my own. Here are my personal answers:

- Telekinesis

- To be the richest man in the world

- A photographic memory

Oh and I just asked a coworker of mine and his are

- Have dental school completely paid for

- Control time

- Be able to eat whatever he wants and maintain his body shape

All of our wishes are probably very different and some of them might be the same. Many people wish for financial success, better health, unusual powers, fame, knowledge, and so on and so forth. Wishes also seem to change as we grow older and have new life experiences.

(I seriously want anyone reading this to think right now of what their three wishes would be. Come up with all three. Seriously. There's a purpose behind this later believe me, but for now just come up with three wishes you'd ask a genie. I don't care if they're stereotypical or cliche.)

Desires

Now God is infinitely more powerful than a genie. He also loves us and knows us perfectly! We are His children. And guess what. He's made us promises way better than anything we could ever wish for. Some of which seem almost as if He's inviting us to, in a sense, make our three wishes.

"Even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you."

(D&C 6:8,11:8)

Wow. Is anyone else a little amazed at that verse? Taken at face value I might think something like this: "Well alright then, I desire money, fame, power, and an ice cream sandwich. So go ahead. ..... Any time now... No rush, I can wait 15 minutes or so... Yep, didn't think so." There are obviously layers in this verse that need to be broken down. (See my previous post for more information on the layers within the scriptures).

The key word in this particular passage is obviously "desire." The modern common usage of the word desire would define it as synonymous to want or wish. But the scriptural use of the word desire had much more to do with one's heart. Therefore, it was more akin to a longing or a craving. Something that was much more than just a wish, but an emotion distinctly felt in the heart. I might define it as a longing of the soul.

Different Types of Desire

True desire, which comes from God and is given to us through the Spirit, will lead us toward Him and toward spiritual satisfying. That true desire comes as a natural consequence of us being God's spirit children. We are children of light and our spirits will bring us that desire for goodness and truth. Almost as a spiritual hunger leading us to be better. The scriptures describe this as a "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt 5:6). Tied to this type of desire is faith. "According to your desires, yea, even according to your faith shall it be done unto you." (D&C 11:17) To have faith in the things we desire we must know that what we seek for is right. (3 Ne 18:20)

Satin on the other hand, has his cheap imitations of desire. Lust, laziness, overindulgent behavior, fanciful imaginations, greed, revenge, pride, etc. If we succumb to the cravings of the natural man all of these emotions and behaviors will sap our ability to feel the true desires of our spirits.

We many feel a "desire" to play video games all day. I've seen that "desire" take a number of my peers under its virtual wings. But isn't that just the natural man trying to convince us to just be lazy, or to zone out of things in life that we should be confronting head-on. I'm not saying that video games are inherently bad, but there is a time and a place for them that's abused more often than not. There's certainly a desire for money in this world, but Jacob offers us great counsel for when that is appropriate and when it is not.

Basically here's the key in Moroni 7:12-13 to discern which type of desire you're feeling. 

If it is good and brings you to Christ - It's from God.

If it takes you in any other direction - It's not from God.

"What we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity... Only by educating and training our desires can they become our allies instead of our enemies!" (Elder Neal A. Maxwell)

Where your treasure is...

Let's peel back another level of this word desire, shall we? The key to this layer is a verse given to us word for word three different times in the scriptures. Twice in the New Testament and once in the Book of Mormon.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 

(Click to see References)

It's obvious that heart can be defined as our desires. The things we really want deep down in our heart. Treasure can be defined, not only as money, but also as our time, and/or our effort. With those terms defined lets reword the scripture. Whatever we spend our money, time, and/or efforts on are the true desires of our hearts.

Are we ready to face this reality? Cause I'm warning you, for most of us this is where it starts to get personal.

If we ask God for one thing and then put something else of a higher priority we are, in essence, lying to God. Where are our desires if we ask God to help us in school and then deprive ourselves of sleep night after night so that we can hang out with our friends, pushing our homework back further and further into oblivion. Obviously we are telling God with our mouths that we desire good things and then place our hearts in a completely different area. Sound like a scripture to you? Good, cause it is.
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matt 15:8)

I doubt he was praying for help with his memes...

We ask God "help me to find more friends," "help me find someone to date," "help me to be a better parent," etc. All good wholesome desires! But then we turn around and spend countless hours proving to God that what we really want is full access to Pinterest for all of eternity. Or perhaps we're showing God that our hobbies are more important than our relationships. We pray for God to help the missionaries and then avoid gospel topics around our coworkers and friends. 

Enough. You get the idea. Asking God for one thing and then doing another is a form of hypocrisy.

Pray like it all depends on God, then work like it all depends on yourself.

Occasionally, and I'll say this very carefully, there is really nothing that you can do. The illness of a loved one living far away. The plight of a stranger to "please pray for me." The pleading of parents for a child far removed from home. There are some cases in which there is nothing we can do, but call upon God and leave it in His capable hands. Most of the time, however, there is something we really can do, no matter how small, to prove to God that the blessings we seek, whether for ourselves or for others, are truly the desires of our heart.

The Final Step
Lets say I have a 10 year old child who wants a sports car really really badly. Lets say this child askes me all the time for one, works to save money, reads car magazines and manuals, educates himself as much as possible, and really shows me he truly wants a sports car with all his heart. Would I get him one? Nope. He's too young. Would I get him one when he turns 16. Nope. He needs to prove he's responsible and knows how to drive and care for a car. Would I get him one when he turns 25? That's harder to say. I don't think I would though. He's a man now. He's old enough to set his priorities straight and work for something that he really wants.

The Will of God plays a part in what we will actually receive in this life. God is a perfect parent. He permits us agency to make our own decisions. That also means that God won't (figuratively speaking) give us a Ferrari when we're 10. Sometimes we don't understand why things are happening to us, or why the things for which we ask, which are completely justified in our eyes, seem far away and not forthcoming.

Couples who struggle their whole lives financially, someone who's physical body is crippled in some way, for some people there is emotional damage (which I believe is one of the most difficult trials to bear), the loss of loved ones or friends, mockery and isolation from those who should welcome and support us. These are real trials for which, I have no doubt, the desire to be rid of these heavy weights is real and exemplifies the longing of the soul associated with desire.

But sometimes God has a His own timetable and His own plan. A higher plan. A plan that if we could only see the end from the beginning we would bear up our burdens gladly because of the glorious dawn in the near future! We will receive the things we truly desire! And so much more! If we can just press on through this night of darkness the dawn of the new day, the coming of the Savior and our returning to Him, will be glorious! Filled with healing and rest from cares and sorrows.

For those of us who feel the desires of our hearts have not been met, have faith in God. The darkest night precedes the brightest dawn. You will receive everything that God has promised.

Finally

"Even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you."

(D&C 6:8,11:8)

To take full advantage of this promise we must involve these key elements:
- Have true desires for things which are right and wholesome.
- Be willing to do everything we can personally to obtain those desires (including prayer)
- Have faith in the will of God that all His promises will be fulfilled and that "all things shall work together for your good."

Now look at those three "wishes" you chose at the beginning. Reevaluate them. What are the three things you truly desire in your life right now? Write them down. Go to work. Good luck. :)

Keep pushing on brothers and sisters.

Andrew