Psalm 37:4
By Charlie Phillips
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
I recently heard a minister use this verse to prove to his congregation that God wants to give them all the material wealth for which they yearn. He said that if they delight themselves in God, He in turn will give them the riches they desire deep down in their hearts. This is a complete misapplication of the text, and most of us would never dream that God wants to fulfill our desires for earthly treasure. Having said that, we often substitute other things for worldly treasure such as a different job or more children. And while a new job or another addition to the family are both good things; might there be other desires we ought to have as Christians?
What if our delighting in God led to desires for things outside of our personal interests? What if instead of God’s people using Psalm 37:4 to justify personal gain, they looked to fortify their hope in Him? What if this verse was all about gaining God’s desires for His glory and His kingdom? How might we apply it differently?
Certainly the Lord desires that the gospel be preached to the lost. He proved this by giving us a Great Commission to complete through the power of the Holy Spirit. So maybe our delighting in God ought to strengthen our desire for the lost to be saved. Maybe our delighting in the Lord should cause us to pray for those around us that need to hear the gospel. Maybe our delighting in Christ ought to give us the courage and resolve to build relationships with people in our communities that are in need of eternal hope.
As we delight in the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit, may he give us the desire to see the Great Commission be fulfilled!
By Charlie Phillips
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
I recently heard a minister use this verse to prove to his congregation that God wants to give them all the material wealth for which they yearn. He said that if they delight themselves in God, He in turn will give them the riches they desire deep down in their hearts. This is a complete misapplication of the text, and most of us would never dream that God wants to fulfill our desires for earthly treasure. Having said that, we often substitute other things for worldly treasure such as a different job or more children. And while a new job or another addition to the family are both good things; might there be other desires we ought to have as Christians?
What if our delighting in God led to desires for things outside of our personal interests? What if instead of God’s people using Psalm 37:4 to justify personal gain, they looked to fortify their hope in Him? What if this verse was all about gaining God’s desires for His glory and His kingdom? How might we apply it differently?
Certainly the Lord desires that the gospel be preached to the lost. He proved this by giving us a Great Commission to complete through the power of the Holy Spirit. So maybe our delighting in God ought to strengthen our desire for the lost to be saved. Maybe our delighting in the Lord should cause us to pray for those around us that need to hear the gospel. Maybe our delighting in Christ ought to give us the courage and resolve to build relationships with people in our communities that are in need of eternal hope.
As we delight in the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit, may he give us the desire to see the Great Commission be fulfilled!
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