Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Here's an example of how this verse is commonly misinterpreted: "Oh, well I want to get married, so that must mean that God will bring me a wife/husband" or "I really want this job, so I'm going to believe God to provide it for me." I really don't think this is what this verse means at all.
Look at the first part (what is often overlooked in quoting this verse): "Delight yourself in the Lord." What does delighting in the Lord look like? Treasuring God above all else and making Him your ultimate desire. When we truly delight in God, other stuff doesn't matter as much. When life is hard or things don't work out like we'd like to them, we can still be joyful and at peace because we have God.
So, how does that apply to the rest of the verse? Well, I think that sheds some light on what is meant by the "desires of your heart." Are these desires that are spoken of all the desires that we have? I don't think so. Our desires come from a variety of sources- some from God, some from ourselves, some from the world around us, etc. So, which desires are spoken of here?
Let me sidetrack from that question to give some helpful background. The Bible speaks of us receiving new hearts when we become believers in Christ. This new heart produces change within us- we now desire God and want to live lives that honor Him. So, I think we have to keep this in mind when interpreting this verse. God doesn't promise to give us everything that we want. Instead, He promises that as we seek Him above all else, He will give us what we ultimately desire- more of Him. That makes me think of Jesus' teachings about a spring of living water that we can never exhaust- there will always be more of God to desire, delight in and satisfy us like nothing else can.
Now, does this mean that God won't ever grant us things that we want? Of course not. God is infinitely wise and knows which of our desires glorify Him and are ultimately the best for us and which ones aren't. So, we need to trust Him in this. There are certain things that I would like to happen in my life, but I don't know for sure if those are in God's plans for me. What I do know is that God has my best in mind and will bring that about. So, I work each day to trust Him and remember how much He does care for me.
So to sum it up, this verse doesn't mean that God will give us something just because we desire it. Rather, it must fit into His sovereign plan. Accordingly, our responsibility is to trust Him and not get mad when we don't get what we want or be bitter towards God. Second-guessing God is basically a sinful attitude (one I've found myself confessing far too often).
What are your thoughts?
-JRO
6 comments:
I would agree with you Jamie. I think it's a very dangerous teaching b/c it only sets people up for heartbreak. (Especially the desire for a family.) We can get focused on doing works and trying all that WE can do to please God in order that we can have what we want. I think the trend of the Prayer of Jabez just heightened this problem. Yes Jabez is a wonderful example of faith, but the reason his story is so special is the last bit of the brief story of Jabez. (It's 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 if you are keeping up.) After Jabez prays, the verse goes on to say "And God granted his request". If it were standard that all of our requests were granted then why would the writer of Chronicles feel the need to tag that bit on?
you're preaching to the choir on this one. and anybody who disagrees should just test it - does God give you everything you want?
whenever there's something i think i really want in life that i don't have, i try to get to the point where i can honestly say, "yes, i'd really like to be married one day, but if God doesn't want that for me, then that's okay." i have seen more times than once that when i truly release a desire to God, He will turn around and give it to me. Doesn't always happen that way, but God's a big fan of that whole surrender thing ;)
good post - sounds like something i may've heard at port city thursday night (wink)
I'm mad that you didn't give Jessica or I credit for making you think of this post. Jerk.
I definitely agree Jamie; this is something that alot of my friends, even tried and tested Christians in the faith trip up on. They assume, oh, I love God, I keep His commandments, and He will give me the "desires of my heart" because He loves me. While God does give us happiness and satisfaction that does not always mean that so was given because it was the desires of our hearts. I agree that God grants us the desires He has in mind for us, and that in walking in His light and plan makes the desires of our hearts line up with the desires of Gods heart. That is the ultimate goal, to line up our lives, to have our holiness and our joy to line up with God.
I'm a firm believer in what Jenn said as well, I know the devastating effects of what can happen when we fall into the trap of believing that what we are given is something that God has given us as the desire of our hearts. Its dangerous to begin believing this and the effects can be heartbreaking. I believe Elizabeth has it right, God grants us what we want when He sees it fit and as always, blessed be His name, He has our best interest in mind.
I agree, this is one of those church teachings that causes nothing but heartbreak- I should know because I am speaking from experience. I spent many years (and tears) taking this verse to heart, praying desperately for a husband. I wanted to be married more than anything, and instead I spent my early twenties watching all my friends get married off one-by-one and wondering when it would be my turn.
Now, here I am in my late 20's finally getting married in three weeks, and unlike my married friends who all changed their names, I have more letters behind my name than I can count (not bragging, just stating the facts). I wouldn't trade my education for the world, and I thank God for the opportunities I have been given.
So, things didn't turn out as planned, but I am finally coming to terms with that. The way that scripture was used in my church caused more heartache on my part than it was worth, and so what if I didn't find the "desire of my heart"- that "perfect" Christian husband so promised and esteemed by my youth leaders (who would have just kept me barefoot, silent and pregnant anyway). Well, as it turned out, God has given me a wonderful Jewish husband; the man of my dreams, who is truly my "heart's desire"- and yes I am converting [to Judaism], because now I have experienced God's love in a way I never thought possible. For the first time in my life, I am realizing that God loves me.
When we delight in the Lord...this part is like the If part in an if then statement or clause: If we delight in the Lord then.... so 1st and foremost I agree with JRO on original post. Im adding that I truly believe the desires of our heart are often little things that God surprises us with. Things that he knows we, his children, really want but are perhaps not thinking of at the time. For instance my Pastor went on a family vacation to Wash. DC. Her family of 5 boys and her, hubby parked car, made their way to a park and saw President Obama and family within close reach. He waved to them and she was soooo excited like a little kid in a candy shop. She hadnt asked for that but God knew the delight she would feel in it and he surprised her and her family. She said to me, it's really true that he will grant you the desires of your heart. He's our Daddy.
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