What Does God Want?

March 9, 2023

by Rick Annunnziata

During Lent we are often reminded to abstain, do penance and make sacrifices which should be a normal part of our lifestyle. Since birth we are trained to focus on the externals. We strive to perform, to achieve and get things done. Because of that we often cannot experience God as we should.
God cares mostly about what is going on inside of us. He would tell us, don’t cease doing those external things but what happens inside is more important. The Old and New Testament’s are replete with examples of individuals and nations doing all kinds of external things, often somewhat correctly, while not caring about the corruption within.

What does God want? How do I view God?
Is He some kind of a cosmic coach telling me how I have not measured up? Is that how you see God?

Our lives are surrounded by voices that tell us we need to perform, to achieve. Awards, trophies, scholarships, job performance. are all based on performance. Even friends and family measure us according to some idea of how we perform. It’s the way we function. The person that produces the most results is the most successful, the most watched, the most significant. He or she is the one that gets the promotion, the raise in salary and the praise from peers.

There is nothing wrong with achieving but God is not like us. That’s the point I’m trying to make here. The worth he places on us is not based on how we perform. Our skewed perspective becomes a problem when we think God is like that. We subtlety discern, incorrectly so, that God must be like what we’ve experienced before, but he is not. I must earn his affection. I must do more than others to get his attention. He has to be like that harsh coach reminding us of how we missed the mark.
Right?

No, you are quite wrong.

After Jesus was called the beloved of God he was led into the wilderness where he heard another voice. That voice told him there was another way to find love, acceptance and significance. If you will do this or do that, the voice said, you will be someone. Our world is full of conditions but God, our beloved Father, has no conditions. He loves us unconditionally. Jesus remained locked in his Father’s love just as you and I can do. He refused to get caught up in the conditional if’s that the world offered him. He chose to rest in the understanding that God loved him. We can also live in the place of acceptance and not yield to the fickle wind of our world, a world which fosters addiction, because there is no way to satisfy all of the conditional ifs that it offers us.

Listen now, God said my ways are not your ways nor are my thoughts like yours. For as high as the heavens are above the earth so are my thoughts and ways above yours.
God does not measure us like our world does. Does God have certain expectations for us? Yes, of course he does, but his love for us is not based on performance.

Oftentimes we distance ourselves from God if we fail to meet expectations we think God has. Just like that coach I mentioned earlier, we might distance ourselves from him thinking he must be upset with me…. I’m a loser, I’m not doing enough, I’m doing too little, I don’t do it as well as that person over there, I am doing it wrong. We might feel as though we really messed up and God would never forget, let alone forgive me.
Yes, he would and yes, he does. Just ask him and then move on while asking for His help and guidance.

Before the prodigal son ever asked his father to forgive him the father had already lavished him with hugs and kisses. The father ran through the fields and hugged his son. He then proceeded to put a robe on his sons back and a ring on his finger exclaiming that his son was finally home.

That's your Father in action.

Don’t ever say you’re not worthy of God because none of us are. There is no darkness you could ever get yourself into that God cannot rescue you from.
Don’t ever give up on God because he will never give up on you.
The scriptures tell us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Back in the day the ancient people lived in an agrarian society. Cattle and land were like gold. Basically, the scriptures are telling us that God owns it all. What could God possibly want?

You….He wants YOU.
God does not need you to do something for him. He wants you, not what you can do for him.

Do you know what success in God’s eyes is? Success in Gods eyes is not found in what you get done. Success in Gods eyes is how much of his life can be found in yours.
God wants to live in and through you. That’s the point of it. He is not content to live outside of our lives as a casual observer. God's desire is to achieve a oneness with us. Our Father wants to swoop in with a warm embrace and give us a kiss on our cheek.
The odd paradox is once you discover this. Once it settles into your bones it changes your life. Doing, performing becomes a joy. Serving God becomes an honor. What was once painfully boring becomes fresh and exciting.
In a word we become a brand-new creation.

There is a common idiom in our language that says, “They are going to rub off on you.”
That’s how Christ begins to live through you. Hang around with Jesus. Let Him rub off on you. Its that simple.
Read, pray and attend church. Become curious about God and trust me, God will get very serious with you.