Jesus: The Desire of All Nations
PS. BRENDEN BROWN | AUGUST 30, 2026
Whether we realize it or not, every human heart on this planet is searching for something deeper. Every person, regardless of background, culture, or worldview, is walking through life carrying five fundamental questions:
Origin: Where did I come from?
Identity: Who am I?
Purpose: Why am I here?
Morality: How should I live?
Destiny: Where am I going?
Every human being carries a deep sense of desire: a desire for meaning, to be understood, to make a difference, and to know that our lives matter.
Everyone on earth is searching for Jesus; they just don’t realize it’s Jesus they are searching for.
The fulfillment of every longing in the human heart is found in the person of Jesus Christ. As Haggai 2:7 prophesies, He is the ultimate “Desire of All Nations”:
"I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty"
God is the God of all gods, and His kingdom possesses a culture that transcends and heals every culture on earth. Psalm 2:8 promises:
"Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession."
When we encounter Christ, He answers our deepest existential questions: He reveals that God knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb, that we are heirs to His promise, and that our lives carry divine purpose.
As the Bible shows us, humanity’s story begins with people scattered among the nations, but it ends with all nations gathered around Jesus. Philippians 2:10-11 reminds us:
"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Every crown and achievement will eventually be laid down at His feet, because only One is truly worthy. Yet this future reality isn't just something we wait for; it completely redefines how we live right now. If Jesus truly is the Desire of All Nations, it begs an essential question for our present lives: how does this desire actually operate in our daily walk with Him?
Desire Determines Direction
What you desire ultimately determines what you pursue and prioritize. Your daily desires are actively shaping who you are becoming as a husband, a wife, a parent, a leader, and a friend.
Billy Graham once famously said: "I can tell what someone desires by their calendar and their checkbook."
Where does your time go? What fills your schedule? It is easy to say we desire God, but are we actually willing to do whatever it takes to sit with Him? Psalm 42:1-2 paints a vivid picture of holy desire:
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?"
Matthew 5:6 echoes this heart:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."
We all know what physical hunger feels like, but spiritual hunger works differently: the more you hunger after God, the hungrier you get. The deeper you swim into His presence, the more you realize there is to discover.
In Ezekiel 47:3-5, the prophet sees a vision of a river flowing from the temple:
"As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in a river that no one could cross."
There is a place in God where His river completely takes over your life, but we have to be willing to step out into the deep waters.
Matthew 6:21 reminds us:
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
When you begin to miss His presence, when your heart cries out, "Lord, I just want to be with You," your schedule begins to change. The beautiful truth of the gospel is that even when you aren't actively desiring Jesus, He is desiring you. He is calling His bride back to Himself.
Jesus Reorders Our Desires
When Jesus enters your life, He doesn't just fulfill your existing cravings; He reshapes and rebuilds your heart from the inside out. He takes our broken human tendencies and transforms us into His image.
Proverbs 6:16-19 warns us against the things that align with our fallen nature:
"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
Left to ourselves, "we all have stuff to work on, we are human." But intimacy with Christ changes what we want.
Psalm 37:4 says:
"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Delighting in Jesus isn't a transactional formula to get what we want. Rather, as you delight yourself in Him, His desires become your desires. You begin to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Intimacy changes your spiritual appetite.
This transformation completely reshapes our prayer life. Instead of demanding our own will, we begin to pray according to His. The Father’s work in our lives is to mature us, transforming our hearts so that we are ready to receive all that He has for us.
What Is Jesus’s Desire?
As we draw close to Jesus, we begin to discover what actually moves His heart. Scripture reveals several primary desires of Christ:
Jesus Desires to Do the Father’s Will:
"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)Jesus Desires People:
"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." (John 17:14)Jesus Desires Communion:
"And he said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.'" (Luke 22:15)Jesus Desires His Bride:
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelation 22:17)
Jesus has a burning desire for the Father, for lost humanity, for deep communion, and for His Church.
How Do We Cultivate a Desire for Jesus?
If Jesus is the Desire of All Nations, how do we practically cultivate that appetite in our everyday lives?
1. We Look at Him
Hebrews 12:2 instructs us:
"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
When believers fix their eyes on Christ, everything else pales in comparison. Worldly status, personal achievements, and earthly accolades lose their luster; we willingly lay them down at His feet.
2. We Make Space for Him
The world is constantly blasting noise, distractions, and demands at us. If you want a genuine encounter with the Lord, you must intentionally clear the calendar and make space.
Psalm 46:10 says:
"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'"
Like Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus in Luke 10:42:
"but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."
We have to choose the good portion. Sitting at someone's feet requires looking up at them and stopping everything else. James 4:8 promises:
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Returning Home
On a Sunday morning, you can sit in church and listen to a pastor preach, but that pastor cannot go home with you to seek God on your behalf. No one else can desire Jesus for you.
Ask yourself honestly today: How is your appetite for God?
When our hunger is consumed by the things of this world, our hunger for God gets crowded out. But when you make space, look to Him, and seek Him with all your heart, He turns up. His Spirit calls to our spirit.
The Holy Spirit is calling His Church, calling every single one of us, to come home, return to the Father, and receive His love. Look at Him, make space for Him, and let the Desire of All Nations fill your heart today.
