“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires
of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Ever heard this verse? I used to think this was God’s promise to
essentially be my fairy godfather. I just needed to be patient, pray, and I’d get
whatever I wanted. Life would turn into a fairy tale, I’d find out I was a
princess (with perfect hair!), a dashing prince would come along, and we all
know the last three words, “happily ever after” it would be.
Isn’t a desire for a perfect story built into our hearts, even as
children? We are born knowing life isn’t as it should be. As soon as a newborn cries, our curse from the garden is exposed.
Our desires, the things our hearts cry for, are not to be found.
Fairy tales are beautiful in that they remind us how life could
be. That good should win. That real beauty is ageless. That a man’s strength is
in his character. When the desires of the good hero and heroine are granted,
and the happy ending finds them riding off into the sunset.
I have yet to meet someone, who, in
their heart of hearts, does not long to live a fairy tale.
Who wouldn’t love a happy ending to
each day on earth?
I have seen friends receive the desires of their hearts. But I have
also seen friends still waiting, hoping, and praying for certain dreams.
Having a desire does not make it wrong. As Paul Tripp writes in ‘Instruments
in the Redeemer’s Hands': “Desire is one way our design mirrors God. Here we are
much closer to him than the rest of creation, which either functions by
instinct or by biochemical processes. To stop desiring is impossible, because
when you quit desiring, you are dead.”
Desires can be for good
things. But we need to ask why we
desire things—it is the heart that God
looks at (1 Samuel 16:7).
Is what I want for God’s glory or for
mine?
This statement “for God’s glory” always confused me as a kid. I went
to a Christian middle school, and before basketball games or a cross-country
meet someone would always pray “let it all be for Your glory.” What?! My little
mind was always baffled.
It took me a few years (and some people wiser than
myself!) but the mystery around this statement has been solved. ‘For God’s
glory’ means making everything in life about Him. Even my desires.
I’ll try to explain how I understand it.
Like most girls, I have a desire to bring beauty into the world.
But is it so people will praise, worship, glorify…me? Or is my desire for a
beauty that mirrors Christ, that glorifies him with a grace that loves and encourages
others?
In every
area of life, I need to test my desires. Are they Christ-like, or self-seeking?
James
says it best:
“What causes
quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions
are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and
cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not
ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your
passions.” James 4: 1-3
Woah. Guilty as charged. There have been times I have prayed for
things I wanted and didn’t get them. But if I had questioned my heart, I would
have seen my desires were purely selfish.
“Delight
yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm
37:4. Too
often, we look at this verse and forget the first half of the sentence. But the
first words show the condition for God’s blessing—when we ‘delight ourselves in
the Lord.”
Delight: I love this word because it also means
happiness. When we are happy, joyful, and delight in pleasing the Lord, our
desires will be changed. When we seek
to live godly lives, our desires will change to reflect those of our Father.
Our desires will be filled with a longing to live righteously, love others more
deeply, and to serve God with all our heart, soul, and strength.
These are the
desires God promises to fulfill.
When God doesn’t grant my selfish desires, I am compelled to
look beyond myself. We would not be the people we are without God’s redemptive
goodness. To see that life isn’t about me, but about Him.
“You open your hand, you satisfy
the desire of every living thing. For the LORD is righteous in all his ways and
kind in all his works.” Psalm 145: 16
Take heart. He cares. He knows— know
Him. He is able to change and fulfill your desires.
