Our spiritual needs come befor

"One frequent cause of disappointment, especially in our prayers of petition, is that God does not give us what we want, but that we need. 'Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things' (Mt 6:32). In such a case, we are disappointed because our priorities may be misplaced and our value system inverted.

Occasionally we should ask ourselves what our priorities really are. To help us refocus, Jesus advises: 'Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well' (Mt 6:33). Attaining this holiness ('righteousness') should leave us immune to disappointment, because when we have God and his love (manifested by his beneficence toward us), we have everything we need, spiritually. The answers to our physical needs come as an unfailing bonus.

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Our spiritual needs come before, not instead of, our physical needs. Thus, really trusting in God's promised provisions for our life-needs, with spiritual goals at the top of our shopping list, will immunize us against any disappointment. When our wants are subordinate to our needs, especially our spiritual needs, the art of trusting God without disappointment is the inevitable result, and the reward that awaits us is equally inevitable. It is the one that Paul was allowed to preview: 'No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him' (1 Cor 2:9)."

-- Pathways of Trust: 101 Shortcuts to Holiness by John H Hampsch, CMF