What is on your grown-up Christmas wish list this year?
Can you remember a time when you received everything on your Christmas wish list? How did you feel? Opening presents on Christmas morning to discover that every item on your wish list has been fulfilled means that someone who loves you heard you and wanted to give you everything your heart desired.
Every parent looks forward to seeing a bright smile on their child’s face as they unwrap the presents they requested, especially when such time and effort went into finding the perfect gifts and wrapping them with seasonal paper and colorful ribbons. But would a parent give a child something on their list if it were harmful or detrimental to them? No, of course not!
The same is true with your heavenly Father. Matthew 7:11 says that if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask God.
Unlike the idea of a large man in red coming down the chimney, our Father yearns to fulfill the desires of your heart that are for your good and according to His design and purpose (Romans 8:28), as you work with Him in doing your part to believe Him and act on what He says.
While you ready your Christmas wish list for loved ones this year, make a quality decision to look to God as the Giver for the plans and purposes—good things—He has for you and wants to do in your life.
Let’s find out how to begin a Christmas wish list that God can fulfill.
Seek First the Kingdom of God
Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). What does it mean to seek first the kingdom of God?
Some believe it means turning to God first thing in the morning, before your phone, computer or anything else. Others think it means to ask God, seeking guidance from Him, about things before you do them. All these things are true!
Gloria Copeland first read Matthew 6:33 because it was written in the front of the Bible her mother-in-law had given Kenneth. When she read it, her eyes were drawn to the word “things” because she needed a lot of things! She had a long Christmas wish list, as it were. She and Kenneth were living in a rental home with barely any furniture and had accumulated lots of debt.
When she realized this scripture said she had a part to play in receiving those “things” she needed, she believed it and was born again. She gave her life to the Lord by saying, “God, take my life and do something with it.”
The Holy Spirit highlighted a part of Scripture to Gloria so she could step out and act on the Word. Giving her life to God marked the beginning of her journey of walking with God, learning from Him and seeing His promises come to pass in her life.
What does Matthew 6:33 mean to you? “Seeking the kingdom of God” could mean many things in your present circumstances of life. How can you “seek” personally?
- Find a church to get involved in
- Spend time reading the Bible every day
- Spend time in prayer and fellowship with God
- Ask God how to become stronger in faith
- Forgive the people who hurt you
- Give the first ten percent of your income
- Step out to do something God told you to do.
God will guide you, step by step, as you seek Him first and His ways. This is the first step in developing that Christmas wish list that only God can fulfill.
Ask God for What You Need or Desire
Like Gloria, we can desire many “things” in life. Look at your own Christmas wish list, for example. Your unspoken needs and your written wants all speak to what’s in your heart. Just as a parent wants what is best for their child, God wants the best for us. In addition to seeking first the kingdom of God, we can humbly come to God and ask Him what we need or desire.
The biblical principle of asking God is threaded throughout Scripture. Jesus talks about “asking God” in Matthew 7 and John 16. David talks about “laying his requests before God” in Psalm 5. And God reminds us to “call to Him and He will answer us” in Jeremiah 33.
James 4:3 says, “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”
As we position our hearts toward God, we can ask God for what we need and desire. We don’t need to wait for a Christmas wish list. The Lord calls it “prayer.” In God’s omniscience, He sees the end from the beginning. He sees the future. And always, He wants to protect us, lead us and guide us to the good things He has prepared for us.
God actually puts desires in our hearts as we spend time with Him. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” As we delight in the Lord, He gives us desires, and as we follow those God-given desires, He will lead us into the plan and purpose for our lives. God works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure, satisfaction and delight (Philippians 2:13).
This Christmas, take time to seek God and hear from Him. Document those desires as they rise in your heart. Be specific as you ask Him for the things you need, knowing that He loves you and desires to give you good things.
Don’t Give Up, Be Persistent
If you’ve ever been around children at Christmas, you understand the meaning of the word “persistent.” How many times have you heard a child ask, “When can I open my presents?” They are looking to see what they received from their Christmas wish list. They might say it many times a day. Oftentimes, for a parent, that could be annoying or wearisome.
But could it be that God views persistence in a different light? Scripture paints for us a beautiful picture of how God sees persistence in the parable Jesus shared with His disciples.
Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.”
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:5-10).
Jesus shared this story to remind us not to give up, but to be persistent in our prayers. God never gets tired of us praying and asking. Indeed, our “shameless persistence” gets His attention.
Persistence is also needed because we have an adversary, the devil. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (KJV).
Take a Stand With Your Christmas Wish List in Prayer
As we stand firm on the Word, ask God what we need, and don’t back down or give up, we will see God fulfill His plans and purposes for our lives.
Be encouraged that God will perfect those things that concern you (Psalm 138:8) and He will (Psalm 37:4). As you and God work together, He does a work in your heart, causing your desires to line up with His desires for your life. God’s plans for you are perfect and from heaven itself. Allow him to do a work in your heart to fulfill that grown-up Christmas wish list this year!
God’s plans for you are perfect and from heaven itself. Allow him to do a work in your heart to fulfill that grown-up Christmas wish list this year!
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