The Desires of My Heart

Many of us are familiar with this verse from Psalm 37:

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

But there's so much more to this chapter than just that verse. I'm going to do something no Bible student should ever do and pick and choose a few verses to share.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.


Rest in the Lord, how often I've been guilty of not doing that. And tonight, as I think about the fact that it's exactly 7 months until Andy and I are married, I thank the Lord that I have not always been given what I want.

I took a nap this afternoon to try to catch up a little bit, and I remember waking up briefly from some sort of dream and feeling my finger to make sure my ring was still there. I don't know what I was dreaming about, but I remember feeling like I was losing something or someone. And I was thankful for the man who loves me above all others. What a trying adventure the past year or two has been. But now, I can see God working and having worked.

If the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, then I'm thankful that I'm not based on my goodness on my own merit, but on Christ. And as I look back over the steps of the past year, I'm thankful that God knew, God knew what I needed. God knew that I didn't need someone that I wanted, that they would only lead me further and further away from Him. God knew that I needed to go to Bible College, and to study hard. God even knew that I needed to be lonely, to seek wise counsel, to trust only on Him and put my dependence on Him. God even knew that I needed to hurt and wonder what in the world He was doing in my life. And God knew I needed Andy. God knew how it would all work out, even when I didn't and didn't think he could be right for me. God saw our hearts, and He alone knit them together. So to those of you who are waiting as I have and will forever, yes, trust in the Lord, delight in the Lord, but do the rest too. Commit your way to Him, and rest patiently. That's probably the hardest part, to Commit and then rest patiently.

I still haven't got it right, but I know this, God knew the desires of my heart far better than I did and still do. God knows what an amazing man Andy is, and he knows how we need each other. God knew I needed him when I didn't. And God saw it all. He sees us today, and He sees 7 months down the road when we'll vow before others and Him to be faithful forever. He sees it all, and He knows it all. So Commit dear friend, and Rest Patiently. God has our steps in order, and He sees them all.