DESIRES OF THE HEART
Hopes, aspirations and desires often push people to excel and be their best. But when longings remain unfulfilled, people tend to become frustrated, bewildered and disappointed. Christians grappling with deep and unsatisfied yearnings are comforted often by the promise recorded in Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Unfortunately, when the reader’s attention is solely focused on how to receive things from the Lord, the important context of this verse is missed. While Scripture does identify God as the source of all that is good (Jas 1:17), his primary intent is not to dole out a limitless supply of gifts or to fulfill self-centered and worldly dreams. Prayers that are focused on the object of desire fail to include the fundamental key to fulfillment of this promise: delighting oneself in the Lord. When a person shifts his or her affection away from objects and to God (and knowing him through Christ), he or she finds that the Almighty supplants that which is less worthy of pursuit and becomes the only true goal and source of satisfaction. Then the Lord is pleased to bestow upon his children their heart’s deepest longing — which turns out to be God himself!
Jesus, protect me from frustration and disappointment, which can stem from arrogance. Help me to delight in you and you alone. Amen.
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