Finding Your Heart's Desire

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

At first glance, the words from Psalm 37 feel a bit like a blank check. They seem to say, "Enjoy God and get everything you want." But instead of a promise of prosperity, the words are a proclamation of a profound truth; the closer you draw to God, the more your desires will reflect his own.

This oft-repeated verse is part of an acrostic psalm, where every other line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Although each verse in Psalm 37 contains its own unique insight, all the verses work together to convey one important message. Those people who are wise have no need to worry during times of trouble. This psalm gives you four practical ways to defeat worry when evil people seem to be getting ahead: (1) trust in the Lord, (2) commit your way to the Lord, (3) wait on the Lord, and (4) delight in the Lord.

The focus of the psalmist's words is delighting in the Lord. The Hebrew word for delight is much more powerful than its English counterpart. Here it means "to find exquisite joy," To delight in God is to find your deepest pleasure, your highest ecstasy, and your richest fulfillment in life through your relationship with him. This is an ongoing process as you delight in him afresh each day. As your relationship deepens, what is dear to God's heart becomes dear to your prayers are answered, you discover that your deepest desires are fulfilled.

Any time you desire something that you know would also delight God, spend a moment thanking God for how he's helping you grow to be more like him.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and give thanks for his leadership; for his faithfulness to you and your life. That he loves us so much that his promise is to bring delight, joy and ecstasy both on earth as it is in heaven. ~ MME Team

Ever by Your Side

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascent into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Like all the other psalms, Psalm 139 voices honest, human emotion in a vibrantly beautiful, truthful, and poetic way. In this one, the psalmist asked rhetorical questions. He was not expressing a desire to get away from God. Quite the contrary. He was emphasizing that if people who wholeheartedly try to escape God's presence have absolutely no possibility of doing it, it would be even more unlikely for a person who is actively drawing close to God to wind up separated from him.

In other words, God is with you everywhere - whether you want him to be or not. This truth is wonderful news for those who long for God. God is always right by your side. His Spirit transcends the limitations of physical space.

This means that you will experience God's presence in a different way than you would the presence of other people. God's Spirit is kind of like oxygen. Once you learn about God's Spirit, you know he is there by his positive effects. Even though you can't see him, hear him, or feel him, you know that as long as you're breathing, God's Spirit is present. God's Spirit is the oxygen that allows you to be fully alive spiritually. You can see God's Spirit move through answred prayer. You can hear his voice through words of Scripture. You can feel his touch through his gifts of comfort, peace, and joy.

Jesus is often referred to by the name Immanuel, meaning "God with us." Psalm 139 shows that God always has and always will be "with us."

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to the Lord and give thanks for the Spirit of God that flows around us, within us, always attentive to our needs and never hidden. Let us take daily time to pray; give thanks, and ask for forgiveness from sin so that the goodness of the Lord be respected, glorified and honored. ~ MME Team