Do Our Deepest Desires Hint We’re Made For Another World?

CS Lewis, the renowned Christian writer, has profoundly influenced the Argument from Desire, a compelling piece of evidence for God’s existence. Drawing from his works, particularly The Weight of Glory, Mere Christianity, and The Pilgrim’s Regress, we explore how our deepest longings point us to God.

We’ve all felt that peculiar ache at some point—not physical pain, but a deep yearning for something we can’t quite name. A sense that even our happiest moments hint at some greater joy just beyond reach? In his profound essay The Weight of Glory, CS Lewis articulated this universal experience with remarkable clarity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

This insight forms the foundation of what philosophers call the Argument from Desire, a compelling piece of evidence for God’s existence that resonates with both heart and mind. While not a mathematical proof, it offers a profound window into the human condition and its implications for divine reality.

Understanding the Nature of Human Desire

This brings us to a crucial question: why do we possess this deeper longing? Consider how our natural desires work. When we experience hunger, there exists food to satisfy it. When we feel thirst, there’s water. Physical attraction points to the reality of human relationship and intimacy. Each natural, innate desire corresponds to something real that can fulfil it. As Lewis explains in Mere Christianity: “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water.”

Yet there exists within us a deeper longing—a persistent yearning that nothing in this world seems to fully satisfy. We achieve our goals, acquire possessions, experience pleasure, gain recognition, and still find ourselves restless. In The Pilgrim’s Regress, Lewis describes this as “the sweet desire… which before we have, we think will satisfy, and having, makes us want more.” As Augustine of Hippo observed, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” This universal human experience transcends culture, time, and individual circumstances.

The Argument From Desire—The Logical Framework

This observation leads us to a crucial question: Why would all of us uniquely possess a natural desire for which there’s no corresponding fulfillment? Every other natural desire points to something real. We don’t find ourselves naturally craving fictional substances or imaginary experiences. Our basic desires reflect real needs and real fulfilments.

The presence of this universal spiritual longing, therefore, strongly suggests the reality of its object—God Himself. To dismiss this as mere psychological projection requires us to believe that humanity alone, among all creation, possesses a fundamental desire that points to nothing real—an aberration in the otherwise consistent pattern of natural desires.

Divine Purpose in Human Longing

This spiritual hunger serves a profound purpose. Our inability to find complete satisfaction in earthly pleasures and achievements points us toward our true destiny. The very existence of this desire reveals both our origin and our intended end—we were created by God, for God.

These longings aren’t random evolutionary accidents but deliberately placed markers pointing us toward our Creator. They serve as internal witnesses to our created nature, echoing the truth that we’re indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made” for a purpose beyond mere physical existence.

Addressing Common Objections

Critics may argue different cultures express different spiritual desires, seemingly contradicting the idea of a universal longing. However, the diversity of religious expression actually confirms rather than denies the underlying reality of spiritual hunger. Just as the universal human need for food manifests in diverse cuisines, our spiritual longing finds various expressions while pointing to the same fundamental reality.

Others may question why, if this desire is natural, some people claim not to experience it. Yet careful observation often reveals even proclaimed atheists exhibit this longing, though they may channel it into other pursuits—whether art, science, social causes, or the search for meaning itself. The desire for transcendence often surfaces in unexpected ways.

The Path to Fulfillment

Understanding this desire as evidence for God’s existence carries profound implications. In The Weight of Glory, Lewis further illuminates this truth: “We remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy. But is there any reason to suppose that reality offers any satisfaction to it?… A man’s physical hunger does not prove that that man will get any bread; he may die of starvation on a raft in the Atlantic. But surely a man’s hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist.”

This recognition should transform how we view our deepest longings. Rather than attempting to silence them through endless pursuits of temporal satisfactions, we can embrace them as signposts toward their true fulfillment. These desires aren’t meant to be satisfied by anything less than God Himself.

Finding Rest in Ultimate Reality

The Argument from Desire reminds us our deepest longings aren’t arbitrary or meaningless but purposeful and revealing. As Lewis concludes in The Weight of Glory: “At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.”

Our very dissatisfaction with the temporal serves as a reminder that we were created for the eternal. These longings aren’t a flaw in our design but rather a divine compass pointing us toward our true home.

In this light, our spiritual longing becomes not just an argument for God’s existence but an invitation to find in Him the fulfillment we’ve always sought. The very desire that leads us to question and seek becomes the path by which we can find our way home.

 

The Argument from Desire—Related FAQs

If all human beings are totally depraved, how can we trust any of our desires as pointing toward God? Total depravity doesn’t mean humans have lost the image of God entirely, but rather that sin has corrupted every aspect of our being. Through common grace, God preserves certain fundamental orientations in all humans—including this innate longing for Him—even while our sinful nature distorts how we interpret and pursue these longings. Like a compass needle bent by sin but still influenced by true north, our desires remain oriented toward our Creator even when we misunderstand or misdirect them.

• How does predestination relate to the Argument from Desire? The universal experience of spiritual longing serves God’s sovereign purposes for both the elect and non-elect. For the elect, it functions as part of God’s effectual calling, drawing them to Himself through a growing awareness that only He can satisfy their deepest yearnings. In the non-elect, this same longing serves to leave them without excuse (Romans 1:20), demonstrating their willful suppression of the truth about God written on their hearts.
• Why do some people seem content without God if this desire is universal? What appears as contentment without God is actually a manifestation of the hardening of hearts through sin’s deceitfulness. People may temporarily suppress or redirect their spiritual longings into idolatrous substitutes—career, relationships, activism, or even irreligion itself—but these can never provide lasting satisfaction. This superficial contentment often masks a deeper restlessness that God sovereignly uses in His timing.

Does this argument imply our feelings can reliably lead us to truth about God? The Argument from Desire isn’t based on subjective feelings but on the objective observation of a universal human condition that demands explanation. While our feelings alone cannot reliably lead us to truth, God has designed our very nature—including our pattern of desires—to point to Him, even though we need Scripture and the Spirit’s illumination to properly understand and respond to these signposts.

• How does this argument relate to the doctrine of irresistible grace? The very existence of this universal longing creates a context in which irresistible grace operates. When God effectually calls His elect, He often uses this built-in desire as one of the means by which He draws them to Himself. The Holy Spirit awakens them to recognize that the shapeless longing they’ve always felt is actually a hunger for God Himself, making the gospel not just true but personally compelling and beautiful.
• If this desire is part of common grace, why doesn’t it lead everyone to salvation? Common grace provides universal witness to God’s reality but doesn’t automatically lead to salvation. Like the natural revelation discussed in Romans 1, this desire serves God’s purposes of both drawing His elect and leaving the non-elect without excuse. The difference in response lies not in the desire itself but in God’s sovereign work of regeneration, which enables only the elect to recognize and properly respond to what these longings signify.

How can we distinguish between this “God-shaped vacuum” and other forms of human discontent? The uniqueness of spiritual longing lies in its universal presence and its resistance to finite satisfaction—patterns that reflect its divine origin rather than merely psychological or social causes. Unlike other forms of discontent, this longing persists even when all other needs are met, and it specifically points beyond the material world toward transcendent reality. The Holy Spirit enables believers to increasingly discern this distinct character of spiritual hunger from mere worldly dissatisfaction.

• Don’t different cultures express different spiritual desires, seemingly contradicting the idea of a universal longing. If our desires point to God, why do we see such a variety of religious expressions and beliefs? The diversity of religious expression actually confirms rather than denies the underlying reality of spiritual hunger. Just as the universal human need for food manifests in diverse cuisines, our spiritual longing finds various expressions while pointing to the same fundamental reality. This variety in cultural practices and beliefs highlights the common thread of seeking a transcendent fulfillment, indicating a shared innate desire for something beyond the material world.
• Can’t it be argued the Argument from Desire is merely psychological projection—wishful thinking rather than a pointer to a real, transcendent reality? To dismiss this as mere psychological projection requires us to believe that humanity alone, among all creation, possesses a fundamental desire that points to nothing real—an aberration in the otherwise consistent pattern of natural desires. Every other innate desire corresponds to something real; hence, it is reasonable to believe that our spiritual longings also correspond to a real fulfillment beyond the material world.

Aren’t our spiritual longings simply evolutionary by-products with no real object? Can’t these desires have developed to enhance social cohesion or personal well-being? While evolutionary explanations can account for some aspects of human behaviour, they do not fully explain the depth and universality of spiritual longing. This persistent yearning for something beyond the material world suggests more than just an evolutionary advantage—it points to an intrinsic part of our nature seeking fulfillment in something greater than ourselveThe

 

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