What does God want?
Sounds like a simple question, but if you give it a bit of thought, it’s really not.
Why? Well, for starters, you have to know who’s asking the question. People will ask it for a lot of different reasons. Is it a cry of anger from someone in pain? Perhaps it’s a barely audible whisper that surfaces from deep sadness. Is the motivation curiosity? Or is it just prompted by the desire to reflect and think deep thoughts? It’s not difficult to see that giving the right answer depends on why the question is being asked.
Since I’m the one asking the question, it’s easy to clear that up. But first let me tell you what isn’t motivating me. I’m not asking the question because I don’t know the answer. I do. In fact, I know the answer for everyone, at least in terms of the answer God himself would give with respect to all of us. And that’s precisely how I’m asking it. I’m asking it to help you think about some important things. When I ask, “What does God want?” I’m really asking: What does God want when it comes to every person in the human race? What does he want when it comes to me and my life and to you and your life?
Before I get to the answer, it’s pretty obvious that the question is a religious one. Questions about God naturally get filed in that folder. I’ve raised the question and will answer it because I’m interested in God. Most people still are, though they aren’t interested in church. That’s fine, since you don’t need the latter to talk about the former. I’m not a pastor or priest, but I’ve made a career out of studying the Bible (yes, that’s actually possible). So since I’m the one asking, my answer is going to be a biblical one. That narrows the focus a bit more. My goal will be to explain how the Bible would answer the question “What does God want?”
Now for the answer. It’s simple. He wants you.
That might surprise you. You may doubt it. That’s okay. But it’s the right answer. To be honest, though, it isn’t enough of an answer. You can’t get a sense of how amazing and profound the answer is by just that one sentence. You need some context to appreciate how much love is behind it. There’s actually a long, remarkable story behind the answer.
Since that’s the case, this book is not only about what God wants, but it’s about things God wants you to know. Yes, he wants you, but for you to appreciate that and (hopefully) feel the same way about God, you a little context.
That, of course, is my job. We’ll start with God’s story. There’s a lot of tragedy in it, but none of that ever changed God’s mind about you (or me, thankfully). Once I’m done telling the story (it’s not the whole book, so if you’re not an avid reader, you’re in luck) I’ll drill down on some parts of the story that are especially important. But if you only read the story section, you’ll get the answer to the question we started with. I’m guessing, though, that you’ll want to keep going. I hope you do. It’s good stuff.
Before we jump in, I have one disclaimer. If you’ve spent a lot of your life in church, you might think you already know the story. You certainly know parts of it, but I can guarantee there will be some surprises. Unfortunately, the thing that most often gets in the way of the wonder of the story is religion. Sometimes church and denominational preferences become more important than the story. That’s not the case here.
Even though I’m assuming some readers are familiar with the Bible, I’m confident you’re going to encounter new truths and new ways to think about old truths. And if you’ve never been in a church or heard much about the Bible, you’re the perfect reader. There’s nothing to unlearn or re-learn. It’s all fresh. Either way, I think you’re going to experience the thrill of discovering what God wants—and why.
What Does God Want?
Michael S. Heiser