Daily Devotional For Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Here is another Bible passage that people seem to get wrong or misuse or misunderstand > Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV). Wow! What a promise, right? “Delight” — this is the Hebrew word [עָנֹג, anog] and it is often translated as “enjoy.” It is in what we call the Imperative tense — a command. Yet, this is not the typical Hebrew word for “delight.” 

Everyone has their own definition for the word “delight.” Webster’s Dictionary defines “delight” as “a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture; something that gives great pleasure; and to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly.”  What is your definition of the word “delight?” Well again, everyone also has their own definition for what is pleasure to them, what is satisfaction to them and to what gives them delight. 

For some, that would be ice cream, for another person — maybe a person; or a hobby or a career or their financial portfolio. The point of this verse is we should seek our joy, our happiness in God and God only and nothing else. We should seek our happiness in God—in His being, His perfections, His friendship, in an intimate relationship with Him that exceeds facts about Him and in His love. Anything else or anyone else will leave us feeling empty and void.

So, let’s look at the second part of this verse: “ . . . and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Wow, what a promise, at least on the surface, this seems to give. The key word here is “desires.” This is the Hebrew word [מִשְׁאָלָה, mishalah]. This word is often translated as “petition(s) or asking.” 

The Hebrew text is written a way to correspond to and parallel Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (ESV). In this case, the Greek New Testament word for “kingdom” is [βασιλεία, basileia], which can refer to literal kingdom, but it normally means “rule, rein.” So, when we compare Psalm 37:4 with its New Testament equivalent in Matthew 6:33, we see that the person who seeks God’s rule and reign in their life, will have four experiences:

1. Experience #1 > The fact that you seek your happiness in Him — meaning you are nurturing and growing your relationship to know God, — not just know about God, but you really know God, this will regulate your desires, so that you will be disposed to ask only those things which it will be proper for Him to grant. Any child knows what their parent will grant and give and what they will not. When you are growing and deepening your relationship to God through Jesus Christ, then you will not ask God to grant you things that are not part of HIs will for your life. How well would you say you know God? How intimate and deep is your relationship to God? Why did you answer this question this way?
2. Experience #2 > The fact that you do find your happiness in God from having an intimate and deep relationship with Him, this will be a reason why God will grant your desires. The fact that a child loves his father, and finds his happiness in doing his will, will do much to regulate his own wishes or desires, and will at the same time be a reason why the father will be disposed to comply with his requests. Do you find happiness in doing God’s will that you Experience #3 > already know from Scripture? Why or why not?
3. This verse is a promise to those who really and actually trust God to do what is best for them. It is a reminder of Solomon’s proverb in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths” (ESV). It’s a trust issue that every child eventually has to learn with a parent. Do you trust God to do what is best for you? Do you?
4. Experience #4 > This passage is not about the annihilation or the extinctions of our desires, but their subordination to God and His will. There has to be a cessation of self. We do have natural desires of our heart, but our will, our self, our desires must serve God, not us. Does this describe your life? Why or why not?

But all of this is only possible if we ‘delight in the Lord.’ Nothing else will still our desires—not even our own voice within us personally, nor the invitations of other voices outside us, which will hinder us from hearing the directions of our Guide—Jesus Christ. Nothing else will so fasten up and muzzle the wild passions and lusts so that even a little child can lead them. 

To delight in Him is the condition of all wise lovers of God. For the most part, it is not hard to discover God’s will concerning us, because God’s will for us is in His Word — the Bible. if we supremely desire to know and do it; then any such supreme desires from us is but the expression of His desire for us and thus we supremely delight in Him. Such a condition wonderfully clears away mists, questions and perplexities; and though there will still remain ample scope for the exercise of our best judgment, and for reliance on Him to lead us, yet if our single objective is to walk in the way that God points, we will seldom have to stand still in uncertainty as to what that way that is.

Thus these two truths: joy in God and trusting and obeying His guidance open up the double doors of God’s all self-sufficiency to be our total joy or delight and the other double door of our self-subordination to Him regardless of what we desire, other than Him. The question we all have to ask ourselves is this: Is God enough for us? The “church answer” is yes; but what about the personal answer for you? Is He enough for you personally no matter your circumstances, situations and personal needs may be? Is He enough for you?

Scripture To Mediate On: Jeremiah 9:24, “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I truly want to know You intimately and deeply. I do not want to know facts about You. I want to know You better than I know the back of my hand. That would be my delight and I know it would Your delight as well. Regardless of what I perceive or believe are my needs, wants and desires, I submit all of them to You. I want Your holiness to replace my unholiness. I want Your righteousness to replace my unrighteousness. I want Your godliness to replace my ungodliness. I want Your sinlessness to replace my sinfulness. I pray this will bring You glory and win others to Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”