Noticing God in the Gift of Longing with A.J. Swoboda

Our desires reveal who we are becoming.

Yet, we are able to satiate our longings more easily and quickly than ever before in human history.

Our hearts decay in the wake of desire overwhelm, consumerism trains us to be ever-craving, and we are often incapacitated to trust God for the richness he can supply. Amid our allergy to waiting, how do we steward our desires well?

In this episode, host Jay Y. Kim converses with former pastor, Dr. A.J. Swoboda (Ph.D., Birmingham). Swoboda is an associate professor of Bible and Theology at Bushnell University and leader of the Doctor of Ministry Program on Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at Friends University. He is also a podcast host and author of several books, including The Gift of Thorns, After Doubt, and the award-winning Subversive Sabbath.

Kim and Swoboda invite us to take an honest inventory of our often competing desires, especially those we feel unwilling to wait for. Reflecting on the biblical narrative, they uncover God’s loving design of waiting as a uniquely human experience—one that makes space to combat self-sufficiency and instead engage in curious reflection with God. By beginning with confession and dependence on the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit, we can find a “Sabbath for our desires” at the cross.

While the devil tempts us to short-circuit our longing by indulging our impulses, God teaches us to temper our desires with healthy pause, humility, and prayerful consideration.

Tune in to learn how God desires to cultivate spiritual depth in your life through the good gift of waiting.

This episode highlights the following themes:
✅ The concept of life as a "gymnasium of desires" and its biblical roots
✅ The impact of instant gratification and the gift of waiting
✅ Surrendering desires to God for true rest and freedom

Links from this episode:
✅ Read more about A.J. Swoboda and his work (ajswoboda.com/)
✅ Check out A.J Swoboda’s book, The Gift of Thorns (thegiftofthorns.com/)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1Ci_VYotz4iA13bqt-1ybCM5wLXAqkvXA/view)

God is present; do we notice him? As the world gets louder, listening to God’s voice becomes increasingly challenging. We are bombarded by the chaos of our feeds, by distractions both inside and out, and by the everyday cacophony that drowns out the calm of a life lived in close communion with God. In this season of The Digital Examen, pastor and author Jay Y. Kim guides us toward reorienting our lives so that we can notice God with the entirety of our beings—heart, soul, mind, strength—in both the mundane and majestic moments of everyday life.

✅ Learn more about The Digital Examen (www.ivpress.com/)

✅ Learn more about your host, Jay Y. Kim (jaykimthinks.com)

✅ Read Analog Church (www.ivpress.com/analog-church) and Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim (www.ivpress.com/analog-christian)

✅ Listen to Meditations from The Digital Examen (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meditations-from-the-digital-examen/id1777487307)

✅ Download a Guide to The Examen (www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/digital-examen-podcast/The-Examen.pdf)

Links and Credits
✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com (www.ivpress.com/) and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅ Consulting Producer: Helen Lee
✅ Producers: Christine Pelliccio Melo and Travis Albritton
✅ Production Assistant: Jack Reece
✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅ Social Media Managers: Allie Noble and Makayla Payne
✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard and Elsbette San Blas
✅ Theme Song: "For They Will Inherit the Earth" by Stephen Keech

==== Time Stamps ====

00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - About A.J. Swoboda
02:34 - Life as a "Gymnasium of Desires"
05:25 - New Hearts vs. Reformed Hearts
09:10 - Three Types of Desire
13:50 - The Dangers of Immediate Gratification and Technology
16:22 - Duty vs. Desire
24:03 - Living with God-Centered Desire
27:19 - The Cross as Rest for Desires

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.