"You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Psalm 145:16 "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him." 1 John 3:21-22 These verses have been on my mind lately. I get frustrated with them. I just don't think they are true. I know that there are many people obeying God, trying to please him, and not getting the desires of their hearts. I know a woman suffering from ALS. She certainly desires to have her body back, but it isn't happening. I know women who are homeless and beaten. They desire safety and a home, but it isn't happening. I know people who want jobs, and they don't come. People who want an end to war, no. They want a spouse to return, no. They want...no. So what does this mean 'You satisfy the desires of every living thing'?

My reading today helped a little bit.

• God's will does not always proceed in a straight line. God always has a plan, but it may not follow human logic. In fact, it may often seem to go against what we believe about God.
• God's love sometimes tarries for our good and his glory. While we don't know why God's love lingers, we can rest assured that God's love is always at work. He may not move according to our schedule, but he is right on time for what is best.
• God's ways are not our ways, but his character is still dependable. We only trust people we know. If you are having trouble trusting God, you probably don't know him well.
• God's plan is released when we trust and obey. This step shows that God's love is interactive. Faith obeys him when he speaks, even if what he says makes no sense.
• The end is never the end. Tragedy may come, so will darkness, but triumph is waiting around the corner.

Because Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus he wept when Lazarus died. Though Jesus knows our triumphant outcomes, though he sees the joyful ending just around the bend, he still gets down in the middle of our sorrow and holds us close, mingling his tears with our own.

I guess Jesus knows our real desires, and those he will answer.