Delight and Desire

When I was in college, and even when I first got married, I quoted this verse from Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the Lord and he will give you desires of your heart.” However, I quoted the verse all wrong. I took delight in the Lord. I was a Christian who went to church on Sunday and on mission trips. I even taught kids about God and His faithfulness. I thought for sure I was taking delight in the Lord and therefore He would grant the desires of my heart. Then came the first big trial in our marriage, and I was mad because it did not turn out like I desired.  As my relationship with the Lord deepened, I began to realize that I was taking delight in serving the Lord, but not taking delight in Him. Therefore my desires were what I wanted and what I thought I needed, and not from Him. I want to be healed--like running outside with my kids healed--and NOT watching from a wheelchair. Living life in the wheelchair is not my desire! But as I grow deeper in my relationship with Christ, my desires begin to change. In finding delight in Him, my desire becomes to serve Him in any way possible. I realize I am a vessel. I have the opportunity to show Jesus to others. I may be a broken vessel, but I can point others to Jesus. That is my greatest desire, and when I delight in Him, my desires become His desires.

From His delight and desire I find a great peace. This doesn’t mean I enjoy all of my circumstances. I don’t enjoy all of my circumstances. Sometimes it feels like Groundhog Day. When I crawl slowly out of bed to take a shower with the grab bars that my sweet father-in-law and husband put in, my body is stiff. My left leg doesn’t even feel attached, although I’m grateful it is still attached. Circumstances don’t seem to change, and I have learned through this to become very intentional in the morning. I have to listen to worship music every morning and set my eyes on Jesus. I also read scripture and sometimes listen to a sermon or a podcast. 

Sometimes circumstances don’t change, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot delight in the Lord and that He does not grant us the desires of our hearts. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, His desires become our desires. We want to see Him and know Him. I listen to a lot of podcasts. It’s one of the ways that I feel encouraged. Recently I heard someone say, “ I didn’t get the prayer I wanted. I got the presence I needed”. I typed it in my phone immediately because it is so true. God doesn’t always answer our prayers like we want, but He is always there. He never leaves our side, and He is always faithful. My prayer for all of us is that we will take great delight in knowing Him and therefore He will grant us the desires of our heart.

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37:4-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I shall not want” by Audrey Assad

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m8WgHGOak1c