Psalm 37:4 - In A Relationship With God; His Desires Become Ours. [addendum]
Psalm 37:4 - In A Relationship With God; His Desires Become
Ours. [addendum]
Psalm 37:4 (NIV) Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give
you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 (TEV) Seek your happiness in the LORD, and he will
give you your heart's desire.
Sometimes it seems as if wicked people enjoy the most
fulfilling lives.They live in luxury, get what they want, and commit awful
deeds to maintain their lifestyle. It's very difficult not to look at
these people and feel envious. Have you envied people who have little
or no concern for God?
Psalm 37 lists a whole host of cures for envy. Focus your
attention on verses 3 through 6, the cures that head up the list. Also
keep a look out for other cures in this psalm--they're delightful!
As you read these psalms, note also the outcome of confessing
sin (Psalm 38); the benefits of waiting for God's timing (Psalm 40);
and how to pray when you feel sick or abandoned (Psalm 41).
Review Psalms 37 - 41
Taking delight in the Lord is the cure for envy. David urged
us to do this and to commit to him everything we have and do (Psalm
37:3-6). But how does a person "take delight in the Lord)" (37:4)? To
delight means to enjoy, so to take delight in God means to enjoy his
presence, his company, and his will. Our goal should be to enjoy God, to
want what God wants, to seek his presence, to enjoy his company.
Review any goals you have for your life. Do they match what
God wants for you? Make it your goal to take delight in God today.
Change your desires and goals to match his. [The One Year Through the
Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman re vv. 1-9]
How Can I Deal Effectively With Jealousy?
Have you ever felt jealous of someone else's success? Maybe
your neighbor has a brand new car, or perhaps someone at work got the
promotion you desired. When situations like these stir up unexpected
reactions within us, we just might have a problem.
Jealousy is the emotion of extreme displeasure upon seeing
someone else's good fortune--and it can poison good relationships, ruin
our witness, and keep us from experiencing God's blessings. The
Bible calls jealousy a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:19, 20).
Is it possible to take control of a jealous attitude? Yes!
Since God wants His children to take charge over these volatile
emotions, let's examine some specific things you can do to gain victory.
1. Confess your jealousy. This emotion will
always--always--take your eyes off the Lord and fix them on some other person or
object. That, at its heart, is idolatry. Whenever you place a higher
value on some "thing" than you place on God, you put yourself under
divine judgment. Repent of that sin immediately!
2. Realize that you disagree with God. If the Lord chooses to
bring some specific blessing into another person's life, then that is
His prerogative. Your jealousy merely declares that you think you
deserve the blessing more than the other person. Bring this disagreement
honestly before the Lord and ask Him to restore a godly perspective to
you.
3. Thank God for what He's doing in that person's life. You
may not like this point! But when you praise God--even if you do not
feel like it--you put yourself in a position to receive His blessings
by showing that you fully trust His judgment.
4. Ask God to place love in your heart for the other person.
So often in Scripture the word anger follows the word jealous. Do
not allow jealousy to stir up malice and hate. Instead, learn how to
rejoice when others receive blessings, even when you believe you should
have received those blessings instead.
5. Keep your focus on God alone. Delight in Him, knowing that
He's promised to give you the desires of your heart. Focus first and
foremost on what He's done for you and on the promises He's made to you
through His Word. Always remember that God is God, and that it is His
prerogative to bless each one of us in exactly the way He sees fit. [Life
Principles SB By Charles Stanley re v. 4]
When evil people prosper, it may cause believers to ask why.
It doesn't seem fair that the wicked succeed when the righteous
struggle, but we can't judge prosperity by the world's standards. Much of
what society considers success is temporary and shallow, God offers
lasting rewards. He gives joy that overflows in spite of circumstances.
He grants abundant peace in the midst of chaos. He offers comfort
when we grieve and guides us when we are lost. We serve a God who
knows everything about us and still loves us. That same God
understands the desires of our hearts. How then can we compare material
goods or fame with a loving God such as this? There is no contest!
When it looks as if life is falling apart at the seams, trust God to
take you safely through the hard times. Delight in him, and rejoice
because he will give you eternal gifts that cause temporal rewards to
pale in comparison.
Compassionate And Loving Father, many people have material
goods and success, but they still search for something that is real
and lasting. Thank you for joy that runs deep. Thank you for peace
that only you can give. Help me not to take what I have been given
for granted but to be filled with gratefulness. [Praying Through The
Bible By Fuller re vv. 1-4]
I looked at the Scripture verse. I read it again. Lord, I do
delight in you, I prayed. And I trust in your promise to give me the
desires of my heart. Nelda, my spiritual mother, encouraged me: "God has
the very best for you, Charlotte. He will send someone who will
treat you like a queen." Our camp pastor said, "Yes, Charlotte, the
Lord will give you the desires of your heart, but don't seek them,"
and then he prayed with me. Their wise counsel was to be patient,
and that sounded reasonable to me. "I'm tired of kissing the toads,"
I told the Lord. "I'll just wait for the Charming Prince."
I didn't date for a year. God held me to my words. In my
waiting, I did grow closer to the Lord and delighted only in him. Then
God sent Charles into my world. We were engaged within two weeks and
married within two months. Something clicked in my brain and went
ding-ding! As promised, the Lord gave me the desires of my heart, but only
after I learned to delight in him!
We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary this past year.
And yes, Charles treats me like a queen.
Charlotte Holt, a speaker, teacher, and freelance writer, is
the author of Praise the Lord for Roaches! And Anything Else That
Bugs You. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
Ask a child to make a Christmas list, and he won't struggle to
come up with a lengthy collection of wants. Adults, too, have a hard
time distinguishing between needs and wants. It's easy to read Psalm
37:4 to mean Christians get whatever they want--making God little more
than a glorified Santa Claus. But it means much more than that. Being
"happy in the Lord" means allowing His perfect wisdom to transform a
heart desire to what ultimately brings His kingdom to earth. [The 365
Daily Promise Bible By Barbour re v. 4]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
A Better Way to Live: http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Grace Notes: http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com
