Desiring God's Will: Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God - Softcover

Benner, David G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830832610 ISBN 13: 9780830832613

Publisher: IVP Books, 2005

Synopsis

We overhear Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane--"not my will, but thine be done"--but have trouble honestly making it our own. (from the Introduction) Most people think of God's will as something to be found or as the receiving of guidance from God when making decisions. We assume that if we just knew what God wanted, we'd do it. Too often, however, the problem is not that we don't know what God desires for our lives, but rather that we just don't want to do what we already know he wants. Sometimes, though, we try to live the Christian life out of sheer self-determination and grit, only to discover that our will is not sufficient to sustain us. How might our wills be changed so that we become both willing and able to do what God asks of us? In Desiring God's Will psychologist and spiritual director David G. Benner explores the transformation of the will in Christian spirituality. He examines why our desires are disordered and how our human volition can be brought into alignment with God's intentions so that we willingly choose that which God wants for us. In so doing, Benner shows us that cultivating discernment and being attuned to God's desires is the path to true life, spiritual health and freedom. God wants to change our choosing, not just our choices. By aligning our hearts with God's, we will find liberation from the kingdom of self and instead experience the joy of the kingdom of God.

About this title

From the Publisher

Features & Benefits

* Explores how we can be willing and able to do what God asks of us

* Shows how to align our hearts and desires with God

* Promises liberation from the "kingdom of self"

* Opens up a path to spiritual health, joyful life and true freedom

* Written by a psychologist and spiritual director

* Draws on classic Christian spiritual writers

* Includes exercises and questions for personal reflection

From the Inside Flap

"This is for people who want God. Even more, it is for people who want to want God. It is about not the taming of the will but its transformation." John Ortberg, author, teaching pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church

"David Benner never disappoints. He is intelligent without being academic, psychologically astute without being trendy, spiritually profound without being pious. He clearly knows the landscape from which he dares to speak." Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"In Desiring God's Will, the third in his trilogy, David Benner writes in a deeply personal way of the corrective activist Christians need, not so much to seek guidance as to deeply desire God's will. No more important message could be given us in our narcissistic culture. Poignantly written, this is a life-changing book." James M. Houston, Emeritus Professor of Regent College, Regent College, Vancouver

"This is really a wonderful book, a powerful book, a life-giving book--Benner speaks so honestly, openly and directly to our lust for the self-determination and control that keeps us from knowing the joy and freedom of a God-centered life, a life of willingness in response to God's constant personal love. Reading this book I came to know more fully than ever before how much God desires me." Dom M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O., author of Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer

"Benner has provided a masterful understanding of God's will that rightly places the emphasis upon a loving, responsive relationship with God rather than the correct performance of a structure of 'duties.' This is one of very few books on Christian spirituality that I couldn't wait to get back to when I had to break off reluctantly for other duties." M. Robert Mulholland, author of Invitation to a Journey

"David Benner has a unique perspective in assisting the contemporary pray-er to achieve that true openness which is essential for genuine discernment. . . . Desiring God's Will achieves a happy balance of tradition and contemporary relevance." From the foreword by Thomas Green, S.J., author of When the Well Runs Dry

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0830832610
• ISBN 13: 9780830832613
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 123