Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

January 18, 2018

by Pastor Hawtree

I AM PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE:

TO GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

Psalm 37: 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Two words stand out to me immediately in this verse; the word “delight” and the word “desires”. Obviously, to understand the verse, we need to understand the meaning of these words.

I must admit, I found it a bit surprising when I learned the meaning of the word “delight” in this verse. It is the Hebrew word ‘anag. It means to be soft and pliable. It carries with it the idea of something that is delicate, and is easily molded or broken. So I am to understand that if I make myself pliable, moldable, and breakable in the Lord, He will give me the desires of my heart.

Just so we clearly apply this principle to our daily lives, it means that I need to make sure that God can easily change me. If I discipline myself not to rebel, buck against, or fight God’s will; but remain tender so that God can easily break my will, then God can give me the desires of my heart. It is basically the difference between pride and humility. When I am humble, God can easily direct me. When I have pride, there is a constant inner struggle to submit to God‘s will. Why is this a requirement in order for God to give me my desires?

Well, if God can easily bend me, mold me, and change me, then my heart will automatically be changed in the process. Now we are getting somewhere! If God has freedom to change my heart, then He will begin to make my heart desire the things that are in agreement with His will. Which means, God will only give me the desires of my heart when the desires of my heart are in agreement with God’s will. And the desires of my heart will be in agreement with God’s will, only when I stay humble and submissive to God. As Gomer would say, SHAZAM!

Simply defined, desire is what our heart wants, or longs for. And when our desires are not in agreement with God’s will, He is not obligated in anyway to give us those desires. But if our heart becomes in tune with the Lord, and our desires are in line with His will, then God is obligated to give us those desires. Why? Because in this verse, God promised that. And God always keeps His word!

Today, I encourage you to concentrate on delighting yourself in the Lord. Let God concentrate on giving you the desires of your heart!