Safety and Delight

During my quiet time this morning I read Psalm 37:3-4. It says, "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I've read that verse many times before but for some reason today, I couldn't get that verse out of my head. I just kept thinking about what that really means....do those who trust and delight in God enjoy safety and receive the desires of their hearts? That isn't always true though, is it? There are many Christ-followers that don't enjoy safety and don't get what they want. So why is that? Does that mean God's Word isn't true?? Of course not. It means that there is more to this verse than meets the eye at first.

So I asked God to explain it to me and these are the insights He gave me...

I've heard it said that being in God's will is the safest place we can be. So if God wants us serving in the jungles of Africa, then we will be safer there than we are in our cozy home in America, if we're outside of His will. I wonder if that's what verse 3 means. If we are trusting God and doing as He desires us to, we will be living in safety. It may not be the safety that our minds imagine, but it will what is best for us. 

I looked up what "to take delight in" actually means and I wasn't all that surprised. It means what I thought it meant....to get pleasure from. Then I read the verse again, but changing the the word delight to its definition. So, "Take great pleasure from the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Take great pleasure from. So, God is saying that we can take pleasure from Him. We can know Him so well that just knowing Him gives us pleasure. We can enjoy Him and He will fill us with joy. How often do we do that? How often do take pleasure from our Lord? 

I can't help but wonder,  if we spent our time taking great pleasure from our Lord instead of worrying over whatever we think we want or need, would our desires change? Maybe our hearts would be filled with HIS desires and if that were the case, I'm sure He would give us the desires of our hearts, because they would be the desires of His heart as well.

After thinking about this verse all day. I think I understand it on a whole new level. This verse isn't giving us a prescription for how to get what we want. It's telling us that when we trust in God and spend time with Him, and allow Him to fill us with His joy and peace, no matter what comes in this life, we will be safe and our heart's desires will intermingle with God's desires...and they will become our desires. I won't get what I want necessarily but I will want what I'm given by my Heavenly Father because I know Him so well and trust His ways. 

Today I am grateful that God's Word is alive and active. God is always teaching me and speaking to me through His Word! What a special blessing that is! I am also thankful for the truths in this verse. I've been reminded again that my relationship with my Lord is the most important thing. Being filled by the Holy Spirit is all I really need. I am safe with Him and I am welcomed to take great pleasure from Him. If I choose to bask in His presence and take delight in Him, I will be given the desires of my heart, as it becomes more like His.