1 And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them: What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?
2 And they all spake, save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.
3 And he said unto them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest.
4 And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them: What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father?
5 And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired.
6 And he said unto them: Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me.
What Is It That Ye Desire? – 3 Nephi 28:1-7
7 Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven.
I’ve been thinking today about the righteous desires of a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is true that we strive to follow His example in submitting our wills to the will of the Father. (John 8:28). But that doesn’t mean that we no longer have desires. Through the process of deferring to the desires of our Heavenly Father, our hearts are molded and we learn to have desires which are consistent with righteousness and truth.
When Jesus asked his twelve disciples one by one what they desired, nine of them requested the ability to be with Him again after they had completed their ministry on earth. Jesus praised their righteous desire and promised that it would be fulfilled.
The other three didn’t dare tell Him their desire. Perhaps they hesitated because their desire was different from the others, and the Savior had already approved their desire as right and good. Or, perhaps they felt that what they desired was too much to ask.
The Savior reassured them that He knew their hearts and that they would be given their desire: to remain on the earth and continue their labors until His Second Coming. He affirmed the righteousness of their desire with the words “more blessed are ye.”
Today, I will strive to align my desires with the will of God. I will pay attention to my feelings and to the promptings of the Holy Ghost as I pray, so that I can ask for blessings which are in harmony with God’s will and which are good and righteous.
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