Give Your Desires to God

You don’t need to be ashamed of wanting to participate in God’s beautiful design for nurturing life. The Bible confirms that a child is a good desire. Just like with other good desires, if we prioritize the desire for a child above everything else, it can become the center of our lives to an unhealthy degree.

When we’re feeling defeated, we might think our only options are wanting a baby too much or not wanting a baby at all. That’s what I assumed, too, until a friend told me, “I don’t think you should pray away the desire for a baby. God gave you that desire. Now give it over to him.”

I’d never thought of that before. Instead of asking God to take away my desire, I could pray and ask him to take care of my desire.

The Bible tells us to bring our requests to God in a specific way: “according to his will.” This means we ask God to fulfill our desire for a child and also ask him to handle our desire the way he knows is best. As difficult as it is, we surrender our desire to the Lord.

I know this sounds like giving up. And even though you might have begged God to take away your desire, the truth is you’re scared to let go of something so precious as the dream of cradling your baby in your arms.

But try to think about it the way my friend suggested. Surrender isn’t giving up; it’s giving over. God knows how much you ache for a child. He will work through your sorrow to bring his good purposes to pass. Remember, God wants us to desire Him, which gives Him glory and gives us the delight we crave.

Praying by faith in God’s goodness can be painful, like prying your fingers loose from a tight fist. Yet surrendering your desire for a child frees you to accept unfathomable peace. Your loving Father will do what’s right. His will is perfect, and you can trust him even when the trusting hurts.

Pray

Lord, I know you can do anything, and you hear my cries of longing. So I ask you to fulfill my desire and give me a baby. As I wait for your answer, help me entrust my desire to you. As I surrender this good thing to you, please fill me with your all-satisfying love.

Respond

Open your hands in a visible act of surrender. Borrow Jesus’ words from Luke 22:42, and say this prayer out loud: “Father, I give you my desire for a child. Not my will, Lord, but yours be done.” If you need to, practice this daily. God can use this habit to bend your heart toward his.

Was this plan helpful? We adapted this plan from Waiting in Hope: 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertilityby Kelley Ramsey and Jenn Hesse. Check it out for more.