I sat in His presence yesterday morning as I sipped my steaming cup of coffee and tried to stay warm. I had just returned from three weeks of time spent with family and friends in Canada, and I ached. Physically ached with loneliness. Know the feeling? I'm guessing you do. Well, as I sat, I began writing in my journal. I wrote about life. I wrote about the struggle. You know, the stuff of life that faces you every morning when you wake up. The stuff you wrestle with when no one is around to fill the silence. I began reading my Bible, and stumbled across Psalm 37, and sorta stopped when I reached verse 4. "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." How many of us have read this verse and thought "Well, I could give you a list right now of the desires that He is NOT fulfilling in my life!" Careers come to a crashing halt. Spouses disappoint. Kids inflict pain. Finances are tight...the list continues. We feel disappointed and angry at times when our dreams seem to go unnoticed, and our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. As for the desires of our hearts? We throw up our hands in exasperation, tired of wishing, hoping, praying.
Here's a thought: what if we were to step back and take a good look at our desires. Truly, what do they boil down to? I began to list my desires as I talked to God. I want to be loved, I want to be validated. I want to mean the world to someone. There's more, but these were a few of the core desires. As I wrote, I was suddenly struck with wonder: He is literally fulfilling these desires every single day! The Creator of the Universe loves me with an everlasting love {Jer 31:3}, My name is engraved in the palm of His hand, He delights in me, rejoicing over me with singing {Zeph 3:17}! Wow. He also promised me that if I delight in Him, my heart will always be at rest, and will have a continual feast {Pr 15:15}. The problem is that I have these puny little visions of what this love, this validation should look like. As a married person, do you look for this in your spouse? As singles, do we think we would receive this if we had a spouse? Surprise! Your spouse (or future spouse) is human, and was never meant to fill this vacuum in your life. Is an earthly marriage a reflection of this love? Definitely! However, I have realized that it is of utmost importance that my King maintains first priority in my life. He deserves the best of me, He deserves my devotion, He deserves to be the centre of my life and desires. In this, I rest secure and have everything I need for abundant life.
How do you interpret and apply Psalm 37:4 in your own life? I'd love to hear thoughts!
