Living in the “And”

We must live in the “and” of “delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart,” staying present to our desires in our pursuit of God. In the story of Eric Liddell, portrayed in the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric’s sister challenges him to get serious with God and his calling to China by forgetting his Olympic desires and opportunity. She is concerned that Eric is neglecting his faith because he is “so full of running.” Eric comments to Jenny, “I believe that God made me for a purpose for China. He also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.... To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt.... To win is to honor Him.” Could that be true—that to give up our greatest desires would be disrespectful to our Creator and to live them out would be honoring? Perhaps this is what the apostle meant when he wrote, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire [delight, pleasure, satisfaction] for goodness and the work of faith with power” (2 Thess. 1:11 NASB). Eric, “The Flying Scotsman,” won a gold medal and set a world record in the 1924 Paris Olympics before going to China. Eric was a man who walked with God and followed his heart, as my friend and ally Bart paraphrases Psalm 37:4. The realization of your calling is the fulfillment of your truest desires.