"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
Desires. We all have them. for most of us it is the cry of our heart. Our deepest longings. They are the things we want the very most; to be loved (by someone) to belong, to feel accepted, to feel a sense of worth or being capable.
This verse is something that I have been wrestling over for a while now. Most people, and I used to be one of them, I believe interprets this verse with the wrong perspective. We believe that if we delight in YHWH then He will give us what we want (mostly in form of something material). I used to think that way. But a few years ago as I was thinking about this verse God revealed something to me that completely changed how I see this verse. It's not talking about how if we take delight in God He will reward us with something that we've been wanting ( a desire), it's talking about how God HIMSELF gives us and meets our desires- meaning they are already fulfilled and complete in HIM! How amazing is that?! My deepest longings and desires are already met by Christ.
I think that God looks at my desires, sees the good in them, amplifies that and completely discards the bad, in a sense He is shaping and purifying my desires. He can give me something much better than I ever imagined for myself. (but please take heed, I am not saying that God will give us a corvette when we want a ford focus. this is no prosperity gospel) What I'm trying to say is that God will take what we have planned and what we think we want and completely turn it around and give us something completely unexpected and amazing than we could've ever imagined.
I'm not saying that I still don't have desires even though I know all is met through Christ. I don't think anyone would say that. Not truthfully at least. I still have major longings and desires, some of which are good in every way and are wanted with right motives. The trouble comes when we start making our desires into idols, believing that if we don't have them, our life will be somehow incomplete, even though it already is in Christ. It's a problem I have regularly, trying to avoid the temptation of putting my desires on a pedestal above everything else and forgetting that they need to be put before the feet of Christ and laid before him.
Christ meets our desires- "...he will give you the desires of your heart". Every desire, every longing every wanting has already been fulfilled in Christ, but that doesn't mean he won't give you your earthly desires- meaning if you have a desire to be loved, it's already meet 100 fold by God, and you know that, yet you still have a longing to be loved by someone here on earth and share your life with them such as a husband or wife, I don't think that God will ignore those desires. I believe that if we have those honest sincere longings or wants, God looks at those and grants them to us in due time, when we are at the point in our life where it is right for us to have them. But they will always be a mirror of what God has already given to us and continues to give us. No one can give as much to us as Christ. We are made complete in him.
"Delight yourself in the LORD" what does that even mean? How do you go about doing that? Well I think it starts at centering Christ around your life. Bringing everything you do with Christ in mind. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31. That means EVERYTHING! and giving the glory to God for all that you do and everything that happens. This is no easy task! It takes you being intentional about it and following through, so that you can grow closer to God. make a plan to read your bible more, maybe that means starting by reading a Psalm a day (corresponding with the day), or whatever it is. Find the joy in the day! His mercies are new every morning, it is such a blessing to be a live each new day. Smell the fresh air, enjoy friends, spread love- devote yourself to growing closer to God, not because we are "obligated" to, but it should be an outpouring of our love for God. The more you spend time with God the more you love Him, and the more you love Him the more you're going to want to spend time with Him. It's a wonderful cycle :)
"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
