My Heart's Desire

“Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4 NIV84

I’ve always loved this verse in the bible.  It’s a beautiful promise showing that God cares for what we desire as long as what we desire is of Him.  Recently however this verse has taken on new meaning for me, meaning that I think is much closer to the verse’s intentions.

When I was a new Christian I used to read this verse and think to myself, “As long as I focus on Jesus and find joy in Him, then He will take care of giving me what I desire.”  I desired a husband, a family, a home.  I knew those things weren’t essential for sustaining life, but I knew they were good and I believed that if I turned my focus to loving God, in time He would give me those things.  I wasn’t wrong in my thinking really.  God did bless me with all of those things and I am very thankful and grateful every day that He did.  But I think my mind was really saying, “God, I love you and I want you, but please don’t forget to give me these things that I want so much or I don’t know what I’ll do.”

I can actually say much to my own shame really, that I have even looked at others who might not have some of the things God has blessed me with and wondered if they were really content.  How foolish.  They clearly had a greater grasp on the fullness of joy in Christ than I did. 

Unfortunately, for me I feel like I missed out on the blessing that comes when we submit our desires so entirely to Him, that they actually become almost irrelevant, a side note really to our desire to please Him and follow His will.  Not that the desire is gone, but it is under submission to something greater. 

As I learn to love Him with my whole heart, desiring only to please Him, He has shown me His ability to change my desires to match the one’s He has for me or to take the desire away all together.  That’s the truth in this verse, not that I will get what I want, no matter how good or wholesome that thing might be; but that I would WANT only what He WANTS.

The greatest desire of my heart right now isn’t for any one tangible thing.  It’s not to be able to walk down one specific road or achieve one specific goal.  My deepest desire and greatest hunger is to be obedient to Him.  That desire He promises He will fulfill as I delight myself in Him.  And I do!