Lately I've been reflecting on Psalm 37:4, which says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Contrary to what the Word-Faith false teachers may tell me, this is not a promise that God will grant me health, wealth, and whatever else I want in life.I also know that this verse is not a cryptic statement that in some twisted way means that God will not grant me the desires of my heart. He will. But I must first ask myself what it is I desire and why. I may think that promotion, new car, and bigger house may help my Christian walk, but perhaps they will only hinder it. Maybe I am allowing the material trappings of this world to divert my attention from the Source of all things (which is more likely the case).
What, then, does the psalmist mean? If I truly delight myself in the Lord, then my desires will coincide with God's, and he will give me the desires of my heart according to his good and perfect will. In the end the focus will be on God, not on me.
Since God is sovereign and always gets what He wants, if you want what He wants then you'll always get what you want.
ReplyDeleteThis is really good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have pondered it as well. The Psalmist’s reasoning seems to me to be “beautifully circular.”
When Christ (God) is my great delight – He becomes my great desire (i.e., I desire that in which I take delight), and then He fulfills me by giving me that which I desire.
Alpha and Omega…wow!
I think Dr. Piper would be proud of you. Great Blog
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