Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

This is one of those “feel good,” often quoted, coffee cup verses. But what does it mean REALLY? Is David, the author of this Psalm, really saying God will give us everything we could ever want, as this verse is so often used?

We must see that first, before we get to our “desires,” that we have to “delight” in God. And to delight ourselves in God, we must know Him. How, then, do we begin to know Him?

I recently heard from a friend that she was told she was making an idol of the Bible. As Christians, we know that the Bible is not God, but the Bible is how God has chosen to reveal Himself. We revere and study the Bible in order to learn more about the God we love. Jesus Himself said “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). The Bible doesn’t save us, but tells us of the God who does.

If you love someone, wouldn’t you use every available resource you had to know them better? If they wrote a book about themselves, wouldn’t you read it? That is exactly what God wants us to do with the Bible. When we come to the Scriptures with that attitude, the attitude of reading and studying to know and love God better, His Word becomes not a duty, but a delight. And as we read, study, and OBEY His Word, God is molding us, shaping our heart to look more like His, conforming our desires to His will.

So then, once we come to know God, and have been changed by Him, then we can get our desires, right? Only now these desires have been transformed. What started out as selfish, sinful desires have turned into a desire for more of God, because we are delighting in Him. And we can trust that when the desire of our hearts is for God, that is one desire He will definitely grant.

Need help digging into God’s Word, and making knowing God your delight? I’ve begun working on a study to help you do just that. In the meantime, check out my two other Bible studies, Opportunities for Obedience and Wise Worship, or just pick up your Bible and start reading! He will be faithful to meet you there.