Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
Psalm 37:4 is a popular and beloved scripture for many. But taking it at face value, we erroneously assume that it means God is going to give us whatever we want. I, too, have been guilty of using this scripture to justify my materialistic desires. My assumption was that praising God, going to church, and reading the Word were synonymous with “delighting” in God and the automatic response from Him would be new cars, homes, closets full of designers clothes, the latest gadgets, and whatever our hearts desired. Internal conflict arises when we’ve done all of our “delighting in God” duties and still don’t get the material possessions we desire. As a result, we become disappointed with God. We are disappointed because He didn’t turn out to be the wish-granting fairy God-father we imagined He would be. We didn’t get our way and now we have an attitude with God. The issue is not with God or His faithfulness, but it is with our own gross misunderstanding of this scripture.
Our Western, Americanized perspective associates the word “delight” with pleasure and gratification. However, the word “delight” is the Hebrew word anag and it means “to be soft, delicate, or pliable”. So the picture for us is to become soft and pliable before Him, treating God with delicacy and respect as we would something that is of great value. This idea coincides with the surrounding verses that encourage us to trust in the Lord(vs 3) and commit our ways to the Lord(vs5) both of which require humility.
Desires are a God-given attribute that we all have. Desires, in and of themselves, are not evil. The issue is when we allow those desires to take the place of God in our hearts. As we allow our hearts to be soft and pliable before Him, He begins to mold our hearts and our desires so that we ultimately want what He wants. Have you ever been told to “trust your gut”? At some point or another, we have all received this piece of advice from a well-meaning person in our lives. The truth is, we can only trust our gut (desires and instincts) when they are submitted to God. It is through the act of submission that we will see what we desire come to pass.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with desiring material things. I don’t believe God has a problem with us having material things. God doesn’t want us to be consumed with obsession for material things. What he does want is for us to be consumed with Him our never-ending source of joy.
Spot on my friend!
Thanks Chris!
I like the post! It’s very succinct, and easy to read. I was very glad I read it!
If I may add to a point you made, which struck me very deeply, as it captures an idea that I’ve found in my walk with the Lord.
As you said in the post, “However, the word “delight” is the Hebrew word anag and it means “to be soft, delicate, or pliable”. So the picture for us is to become soft and pliable before Him, treating God with delicacy and respect as we would something that is of great value.” I find that amazing!
It so easy to expect things from God like a genie bottle. It’s so easy to demand things from Him, but His Spirit is so soft! The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove, in the river Jordan after being baptized of John. In the Old Testament, God spoke to Elijah, not in a strong wind, nor an earthquake, nor a fire. But it was a still small voice! Of course also, Jesus who was as a Lamb, led to the slaughter. Even Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit, saying “Grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby you are sealed to the day of Redemption.”
It’s funny. He does not ask us to do anything more than what He does for us. He is delights in us! He’s soft, delicate, and pliable. It’s a Godly characteristic, it would seem, to delight in the Lord. Even Paul’s description of Charity, sounds like the Hebrew definition you provided for delight.
That idea, coupled with vs3 and 5, to me actually summarizes the Christian walk!
Truly, I will never read this Scripture the same again. That insight was so profound! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks A.J.!
Great read. Thank you pastor
Thank you Peter! It is great hearing from you!