What Does God Want From You?

Have you ever asked this question? Maybe you have directed it to the Father Himself:

“What is it that you want from me?” 

I know I have. Multiple times. Usually spoken on the days the lies linger and I give them a foothold or on the days fear paralyzes me from taking any kind of action or step forward. There are some days I feel as though I have failed Him. Like I’m not doing enough or I am missing what it is He has for me. Have you ever felt like this? You want so much to serve Him, to walk the path He has laid out for you but it feels so difficult. The great irony is that in giving into fear, believing the lie of performance-driven worth, or continuous questioning, we lose sight of it. We forget He has already spoken, settling the matter. 

I forget. 

There’s a song my sweet Papa has used on more than one occasion to remind me of what it is He wants from me. “All I Ask of You” is a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous Phantom of the Opera, and while in the context of the musical, this song is a turning point in the love story between Raoul and Christine, my heart resonates with it in a different way. 

When I listen to this song, the lyrics speak so clearly of what the Lord asks of me and not only that, it puts into words with a beautiful melody what I long for! 

With February 14th not too far off, I thought it fitting to take a deeper look at the Father’s love to help you (and me) understand what it is He wants from you. So, take a moment to listen to the song before reading on:

Let’s unpack the first two verses. Replace Rauol’s voice with Jesus’. 

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears;

I’m here, nothing can harm you,

My words will warm and calm you

Let me be your freedom,

Let daylight dry your tears;

I’m here, with you, beside you,

To guard you and to guide you

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:114

These lyrics are loaded with Scriptural truth – it was hard for me to limit myself to the verses above! The Word of God is full of passages and narratives describing how God is light, how He guides, how His word sustains and redeems, how He offers freedom, how Jesus is Immanuel, God WITH us.

Christine’s character desires for Raoul to say he loves her, which comes as no surprise, don’t all of us want that kind of affirmation? She goes on to sing of what she longs for:

All I want is freedom,

A world with no more night;

And you, always beside me,

To hold me and to hide me

Have you ever cried out to Jesus asking for these exact same things? To be free? To be sure of Him? To have Him near you, protecting you always? The part that sticks out to me in her response is this:

Promise me that all you say is true,

That’s all I ask of you

Raoul is saying all of these wonderful things, speaking to her deepest longings and desire to be free, but what does it matter if it’s all hot air? If they are just fanciful, pretty words to cover up empty promises? I can’t help but smile as I picture singing this to the Lord because He is Truth. There is no guessing or room for even a shadow of a doubt. His promises ARE true and He is and always will be steadfast and faithful.

“Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 (Jesus speaking)

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

As we move through the song, we come to the point where Raoul gets down to business – he wants commitment; he wants to be with her.

Then say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime;

Let me lead you from your solitude

Say you need me with you, here beside you

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Say the word and I will follow you

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.” John 12:26

Share each day with me,

Each night, each morning

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15

God longs for us to slow down, to stop moving; to spend time with Him, share life with Him every day. There’s an intimacy in that right? I would venture to guess there are only one or two people in your life who know the ins and outs of your day to day and the thoughts and feelings that accompany them.

Anywhere you go, let me go too

Love me, that’s all I ask of you

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:8

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Matthew 22:37

I love this part of the song – it swells to this point, both singing out at the top of their voices together and then it softens and comes to the heart of the matter, “Love me, that’s all I ask of you.” This is the answer to the title question of this blog.

God wants your heart, your love, your yes! That’s it. (Remember, you can trust all He says is true.)

Did you notice a little word preceding the majority of what Raoul sings? A little word that makes all the difference, “Let.” He is not demanding or commanding. He is asking. He longs to give this woman exactly what she wants, but it is not love if it is forced. It is not love if there is no choice. 

This is what the Lord asks – will you let me in? I am here, I love you, I gave my life for you so you could be free…will you let me love you? 

At this point perhaps you are shaking your head, thinking I have oversimplified what God asks of us. 

Have I though? 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:5-11

This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture and it speaks volumes to the point I am trying to make. He asks us to abide in Him, to be with Him, to continually look to Him. And it isn’t so He can have minions walking around doing His bidding – it is so that YOUR joy may be FULL! From that place – learning what it means to be loved by Him, from receiving that love and trusting in it, following where it leads – that is where the outpouring happens. There are several, SEVERAL passages of Scripture that indicate our faith should be active; there must be fruit:

Good works prepared in advance for us (Ephesians 2:10)

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15)

Caring for widows and orphans (James 1:27)

The world will know who we are by how we love each other (John 13:35)

Be doers, not merely hearers of the Word (basically the entire book of James)

Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

Those things happen when we are abiding in Him, holding onto His love, learning truth, absorbing truth. It all flows from learning how to be loved by Him and loving Him.

Lasting fruit only grows from the continual, daily choice to abide.

Or as I’ve said before, another way of putting it is this: doing flows from being. You cannot expect to do great things of lasting value for God apart from Him! (Read that John 15 passage again.)

Do you ever stop and remember that He loves you just because you exist? That it has nothing to do with anything you have done (or haven’t done) and ALL to do with the Father’s heart and what Jesus has already done? 

From a place of abiding flows the ability to love others, to love your neighbor as yourself, and the fruit of the Spirit! If you cannot view yourself through His eyes, if you cannot receive this love, you will never be able to give it away. 

Why?

Because you cannot give what you do not have. 

I encourage you to take some time to pray and consider this. The Father looks at you and says, “Love me, that’s all I ask of you.” 

Do you believe it?