Monday, February 1, 2010

Our Desire

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

I've heard this verse thrown around a lot over the years, and perhaps often even misused. I have heard other people take this verse to mean that if we love God he'll give us whatever we want. Almost like a vending machine, we give Him what He wants, and we'll get what we really want in retrun. I know this is most certainly not what this means, but I have always struggled to understand it's true meaning.
Recently when reading through Psalm 37 and reflecting on all God has done in my life over the past year or so this particular verse took on new meaning for me. I realized the more and more we truly delight in the LORD and trust Him our desires begin to change. If we are seeking the sovereign will of God in our lives, our hearts will be transformed. What he will give to us are things that only people living in His holiness and righteousness would desire. Even if these things come amidst pain and suffering we find joy in them. And look what it says next:

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

If we are committed to God then our righteousness is His righteousness, and our cause is His cause. Good stuff! Something to think about when following Christ gets difficult (as it commonly does). He will change our very desires by his mere presence in our lives!