



GOD'S WORD
"Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Psalm 37: 4

Can God give me what so ever I desire in my heart?
I sincerely think this verse is one of the psalms that is most used, and even abused sometimes as if it were to be the popular “get out of jail” monopoly game card. But is this verse one of those “cause and effect” biblical principles or are we missing something?
I am asking this because most of the time we want to pay more attention to the effect (and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart) rather than understanding the cause that produces such effect which implies “To delight in the Lord”.
I love making things very simple and practical – In order to understand this Psalm 37, what does it mean to take delight? How deep should our emotions and awareness of such state be, in order to understand it is a delight (satisfaction, pleasure, enjoyment) and not mere a state of amusement or pastime (entertainment)?
I cannot deny that this Psalm provides a course of action (key) but some people’s perception may think that God has to take pleasure in them and in what they do, in order to get in His good side, and others think that we have to take pleasure in God and what He does in order to get in His good side. There are plenty of biblical verses that illustrate when God delights in what we do, but unfortunately presenting these examples would only bring conflict to the correct enlightenment of this Psalm 37 since the initial drive (energy, determination) has to come from us. We may find other disagreement if we consider to place the required delight in God’s Law (Old Testament) because we would never be able to fulfill such requirement. Another valid argument and probably the most significant question would be: What brings delight to God? Let’s make it simple!
Using the New Testament, the Greek word most commonly used for "delight" is eudokeo [eujdokevw], and it is usually used when God's purpose, resolve, and choice are in view; then, it is not difficult to conclude that our Lord Jesus Christ was God’s purpose, resolve and choice, and every time Our Lord Jesus Christ comes to view, God takes delight (pleasure in it). WOW! That simple!!
No wonder the Joy of the Lord is also the gladness of heart that comes from knowing God, abiding in Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. This Joy of the Lord may be inexplicable to the one who does not possess it. But, for the believer in Christ, the Joy of the Lord comes as naturally as grapes on a vine. As we abide in Christ, the True Vine, we, the branches, are full of His strength and vitality, and the fruit we produce, including joy, is His doing.
It wasn’t hard right?
Do you want God to give you the desires of your heart,
Abide in Christ!
Faithfully seeking Him,
Author: Hiram Dorado,
H.E.
Networks Ministries