Getting Our Heart’s Desire

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires  of your heart.” Psalm 37:4  (NKJV)

Have you ever promised to give someone their heart’s desire? I have never done  it, being totally incapable of  delivering on something like that.  But I  did  view  Psalm 37:4  as a promise to provide the good things I wanted, and  for a long time it was my favorite Bible verse; however,  over time I somehow began to think that I was being too materialistic,  and  so edged away from that text and chose as my favorite, one that made me  feel less greedy.

It’s helpful to know that it wasn’t the Lord who was saying  He would give us our heart’s desire; it was the psalmist David who was bragging about his   Lord.  David  knew  first-hand how God comes through for those who make their boast in Him (Psalm 34:2).  It takes  unshakeable confidence  to  say  that if you get honest pleasure from being a  child of God, He will respond to you and give you what you long for. Out of a heart of love and devotion,  the psalmist made his testimony about the truth of  God’s generosity and dependability.

In actuality,  some people do get what seems to be the desire of their hearts even though they don’t delight themselves in God.  However, oftentimes when they get what they think is their heart’s desire, they are not satisfied for long. They keep hankering for more. When God gives us our desire, it satisfies a soul need. Daily necessities, such as a place to live and food to eat are desires. So also are good health and a satisfying relationship with loved ones and friends. These  are some of God’s  good gifts  to us.  But  God’s ultimate gift  goes  deeper and is more lasting.  It is the gift of soul peace and joy,  which we  truly desire,  and it comes to  those who delight themselves  in Him by putting Him first in their lives.

Imagine getting to the place where you can make  a declaration like the one  the psalmist made. It emanates out of a deep friendship with God, from  knowing Him intimately. It must have pleased God  immensely to hear David’s testimony. And it  is sweet incense of praise to  our Lord when we let others know that He is reliable and does wonderful things for us because we delight in Him.

Always,

Judith

God’s promises are sure and readily
                     available
To all who believe in Him.