Delight yourself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  

There are two key words here, the verb “delight” and the noun “desires”.  The word “delight” has an element of “joy” in the original Hebrew.  What in your life delights you?  I admit that when I think of the delights of life, I think of certain foods, good coffee, my cozy home, working in my home office, walking in the woods, playing golf, my love for my wife and children and grandchildren, and so forth.  What are the delights of your life?

The Bible says here that you are to delight yourself in the Lord.  How?  You can measure your delight in the Lord by how you would answer these questions, each of which start with the words, “Do you look forward to and enjoy………”:

Spending time in His Word?

Studying His Word?

Applying His Word?

Attending church?

Interacting and spending time with other believers?

Your quiet time that includes Bible study and prayer?

Serving the Lord in ministry by serving others?

Sharing your faith with others?

Being obedient to what His Word teaches?

There has to be genuine delight---happiness, cheerfulness—with all of these attitudes and actions before the Lord will fulfill His promise.  And what is His promise?  At first glance, this verse seems to be stating that the Lord will give you what you desire to be or to have.  No, that is an incorrect interpretation.  What the verse is really stating is that the Lord will incorporate into your heart—your mind, emotion and will—what those desires ought to be.  This word "desires" means “requests”.  What are the requests of your heart?  Does this not really mean what are the prayers of your heart?   The desires of your heart (Note:  it does not state the desires of your flesh) that the Lord puts there will not be selfish or self-serving, but will be unselfish, putting others’ needs first, and being humble.  Indeed, the initiative you show to delight yourself in the Lord will be continued through the Lord perpetuating your desire to delight in Him. 

This same theme of delighting yourself in the Lord is also found in Job 22:26 and Isaiah 58:14, both passages of which affirm that taking delight in the Lord follows your attitude and actions to be obedient to Him.  All these passages state that if and when you delight yourself in the Lord, He gives something to you.

Again, what are your delights?  And, what are the desires of your heart?  Is the Lord involved in both?