Do We Really Want What's Best?
Scripture Reading — Psalm 37:1-4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
There's a little girl in our home who would really love to eat candy all the time. It's her daily dose of vitamin "C." If she likes it, it must be good for her, right?
Our passage for today has sometimes been misunderstood to mean that God will give us whatever we want if we delight in him. But considering that the child in each of us often wants things that aren't good for us, we need to know that this is not talking about getting what we want but about getting a new set of wants.
We all hanker for things that we shouldn't have too much of--like ice cream and chocolate--or other things that are even worse for body and soul. At the same time, we may have little or no interest in things that would really do us good.
The Bible says our desires are naturally corrupt and deceitful (Ephesians 4:22). We can't trust them. We need God to give us new and healthy desires. But how? Psalm 37 tells us: Delight in the Lord. Seek him. Know him. Find out what pleases him (Ephesians 5:10). After all, we tend to do what we like doing, what we delight in. And when we delight in God, we'll find ourselves doing what God does. When we're familiar with God's way of dealing with people, his ways will become our ways. Then God's love for the lost in this world will beat in our hearts too.
Dear God, what is it that you really want in this world? Help us to know your heart and to want the things you want. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
About the author — Tim Holwerda
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