The first time I read Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart”, I thought, “WOW! I just need to ask God for whatever I want and (because I am a good person) he will give me whatever my little heart desires”. Um, not quite.
While I certainly believe God can, will, and does give us things we ask for (according to HIS will), I have come to understand Psalm 37:4 a bit differently. My humble understanding of this verse is that as I revel in God, as I savor WHO He is, and as I become captivated by His Word and His promises, it is then that He places desires in my heart. In other words, as I have relationship with God he places His desires in my heart thus making them my desires. As I draw closer to God he supernaturally changes the desires of my own heart to align with His heart and His purpose.
So, how exactly do we delight in God? How do we receive His desires as our own? For me, it is taking time to get to know Him through His Word. I enjoy reading the daily verse on my phone’s Bible App or getting into some of my favorite devotionals. I love to open my leather-bound Bible and read Scripture, as well as, the notes I have written over the years listening to various Pastors preach on certain verses.
Another way I delight in God is through prayer. Sometimes this is a quick word offered up during a stressful or busy moment in my day. Other times it is when I quiet myself before the Lord and find a solitary place to converse with my Heavenly Father.
Finally, for me, I delight in God through worship and fellowship with like-minded believers. I delight (revel, savor, am found captive) in God through corporate worship, lifting songs of praise unto our Lord and Savior. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” Matthew 18:20. Also, spending time talking with and praying with other Christians who have a similar passion for the things of God. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17.
How about you? What is it that causes you to delight in the Lord? How do you align your desires with God’s? In what ways can you spend more time with the One Who created you?
Let me encourage you with this prayer, “Father God, we long to be filled with Your desires. You know what is best for us. Your Word says you want to prosper us and not harm us (see Jer 29:11). As we commit to drawing closer to You we trust that You, in turn, will draw closer to us. Fill our hearts with Your desires. Open our hearts to the things of God and use us for Your great purpose and for Your glory. We ask these things in Jesus Name. Amen.”
Kami R. Lobner
Kami's Korner 