“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” - King David (Psalm 37:4) King David's statement to the reader is filled with a challenging truth that religion often nullifies with its various explanations of why God doesn't come through for us. In contrast, David provides (from experience) a clear responsibility on our part to step out of our present challenges and the moments we may be stuck in mentally to thoroughly immerse ourselves in Him and His thoughts about us. Think about that - David says the "delighting" (our job) precedes God's giving (His job). The Hebrew word translated as "delight" is עָנַג (pronounced "anag"). This verb conveys the sense of taking great pleasure and enjoying Him thoroughly. The idea here is more than just trying to convince ourselves to like something or Someone; it involves a deep, joyous, and profound pleasure that engages our deepest appreciation and enjoyment. However, this is not something that occurs from merely doing our religious duty. It comes in relating friend to friend... sharing the deepest things, the smallest things, even the secrets of our heart and desiring this from Him in return. "Delight" is the internal workings that precede the most genuine words of gratitude and thanks. The rest of the verse, "And He shall give you the desires of your heart," links the act of "delighting" and gratitude with the fulfillment of personal desires. This intentional exercise of "delighting in Him" is what causes the heart to begin to value what He values, distinguishing selfish heartfelt desires from those that organically arise when we learn to enjoy the Creator Himself. When we do what He wants us to do out of a heart of gratitude, something happens in us that brings the agreement of heaven into manifestation. If you find yourself stuck, perhaps you can find some time to be repurposed in your daily routine to genuinely and unreligiously 'delight in Him'.
Posted by AStryker at 2024-04-16 19:05:23 UTC