Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Do You Really Want? | The Writings | Psalm 138

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

What do you really want? Is it what you think you want? Can you change what your heart desires? In today's episode, Keith shares how Psalm 138 encourages us to want God more than anything else in life. Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 138

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. I can tell you exactly what someone is going to do before they even think about doing it. No, I'm not a fortune teller or a mind reader, and I don't have any superpowers or anything like that. In fact, my method is pretty simple. Every human being that has ever existed has always done the same thing in each moment and each decision of their life. They do what they want.

I mean, that's it. Every decision we make flows from what we desire most in the moment. We might justify our decision with logic or reason, but deep down, our hearts are steering the ship. The uncomfortable part is that we don't always know what our heart truly wants. There's a story from a Russian film. It was called The Stalker, kind of an obscure film, and it captures this tension that we don't know what our heart once. The plot follows three men, a professor, a writer, and the stalker on a journey to this mysterious place. It's called the zone. And within the zone is a room. And when you enter into that

room, your deepest desire is fulfilled. It sounds incredible, doesn't it? Who doesn't want to walk through that door into that room? Who doesn't want their greatest desire fulfilled? But when these three men arrive at the zone, when they get an opportunity to walk into the room, something unexpected happens. Standing right there on the threshold, they hesitate. Why? Because the room doesn't grant you the wish you think you want. It reveals your deepest, truest longing.

The room gives you the wish that you really want, whether you've admitted that to yourself or to others or not. So it makes you ask the question, do you know what you really want? confronted with this reality the men realize they're afraid of what the room might show about themselves Now that story hits close to home doesn't it? We're all creatures of wanting But our desires can be confusing and maybe even contradictory We say we want one thing but chase another

We long for meaning yet settle for distractions We want to be healthy but eat Oreos and lay in bed instead of exercising We want to grow in our faith, but scrolls social media instead of reading the Bible. Psalm 138 invites us to wrestle with this question of desire, and it reorients our hearts. It shows us how to want what truly matters, how to want God himself. We don't make decisions based on pure rationality. We act on what we want most in the moment. That's why our desires are so powerful because they shape our entire life.

Take, for example, a recovering alcoholic. They may desire the feeling, the buzz that comes from a couple glasses of wine, but if they want the freedom of sobriety more than the buzz, they'll resist the urge to drink. Or think of someone tempted to lie to protect their reputation. If they want to be people of integrity, more than they want people's approval, they'll choose to be honest. Our lives are this constant tug of war between competing desires. And the direction we go depends on which desire wins.

Here's the good news. Our desires, our wants aren't fixed. They can be shaped and molded. And Psalm 138 shows us what it looks like to desire the right things, what it means to want God above all else. Psalm 138, verse 1. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart, before the gods, I will sing your praise.

David begins by declaring his devotion to God. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart. This is in half-hearted worship, it's whole-hearted longing. David's desire for God is so deep that it overflows into public praise, even before the gods, it says, which is likely a reference to angelic beings. David wants God more than anything else, and that desire is expressed in worship. But why does David want God so much? Because he's experienced the presence of the Lord.

He knows there's nothing greater, nothing more satisfying, than being with Him. When we long for God, our hearts are drawn into worship, not just out of duty, but out of delight. David continues in the Psalm, he says, I will bow down towards your holy temple and praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness. For you have exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. David's longing for God isn't abstract. It's rooted in God's character, he praises God for his unfailing love and faithfulness. David knows that God is trustworthy, that his promises are solid. In fact, God's word is so exalted, David said, it surpasses his fame. In other words, God's character and God's promises are even greater than his reputation.

So wanting God means recognizing the beauty of who he is and the reliability of his word. When we focus on His love and faithfulness, our desires begin to shift. We stop chasing lesser things because we've seen something better. We've seen the goodness of the one who never fails. Verse 4. May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. David's longing for God isn't just personal.

It's expansive. He wants everyone to know and praise God. glory. This is what happens when our hearts are truly aligned with God. Our desires begin to reflect God's desires. We start wanting what he wants, his glory, his kingdom, his purposes. When we want God, our lives point others to Him. Our worship becomes contagious. Our words and actions reflect His goodness. As Jesus put it, we become salt and light. Our longing for Him draws others into the story of his glory. So do you want God? As a relationship with him, your deepest desire? I don't think any of us can confidently claim that God is our deepest desire. Most of the time, our hearts are

conflicted, and we end up sounding like the man in Mark 9 who prayed, I believe, help my unbelief. How do we learn to want God more? It doesn't happen automatically. It's something we cultivate through intentional practices that shape our hearts and align our desires with his desires. Here are a few ways to start. First, spend time in His Word. God's Word is where we see His love and faithfulness and glory. The more we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the more our hearts are drawn to Him. Second, worship regularly. Worship isn't just a response to God's greatness. it's a way to reorient our hearts toward him. Make space for worship in your daily life,

whether it's through singing a song or praying a prayer or simply reflecting on his goodness. Third, pray honestly. If you don't feel like you want God right now, if you don't feel much desire for him, tell him. Be honest about your struggles and ask him to give you good desires. God is faithful to meet us where we are.

He will transform our heart. Fourth and last, surround yourself with godly community. The people around us influence what we want. Surround yourself with other people who long for God and let their lives inspire you. So let's go back to the story of The Stalker, the movie we talked about earlier, and the room that gives you what you truly want.

Standing on the threshold of that room, the professor and the writer hesitate. Remember, the room doesn't give you what you think you want, it reveals what you truly want. And that's what makes it so terrifying. What if your deepest longing isn't what you expect? One day we'll all stand before God, and he will give us what we want. This isn't about some mystical room. It's about the eternal destiny that flows from the desires of our heart. For those who truly want God, who've longed for Him, sought Him, believed in Him, placed their trust in Him, God will give them

himself, eternal communion, eternal joy, eternal life in his presence. But for those who have spent their lives wanting anything and everything but God, he will honor their choice too. Eternal separation, eternal self, eternity without him. C.S. Lewis put it this way. There are only two kinds of people in the end. Those who say to God, thy will be done, and those to whom God says, thy will be done. And God gives us what we want. That's why this question matters so much. What do you want? Here's the truth of the gospel. In Jesus, God has shown that he wanted us. Long before we ever turned to him, he turned to us. And Jesus came to seek and save the loss to draw us back to the God who loves us. His life, death, and resurrection are the ultimate proof

that God desires communion with us, that he was willing to take on. our sin, our shame, our brokenness so that we could be with him. Our longing for God is only a response to his far greater longing for us. So today, take a moment to reflect. What do you really want? What are the desires driving your decisions, your time, your energy? If your heart isn't longing for God, ask him to realign it, spend time in his word, worship, seek him in prayer. The more you do, the more your heart will learn to want what truly satisfies. And when that day comes, when God gives us what we want, you'll find eternal joy in the one your heart was made for. Amen.