What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord? How can you do so even when he says “no” to your prayer for physical healing?
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Just what does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and you have probably committed Psalm 37:4 to memory. And I bet you know it well, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Now, that sounds pretty good; that’s a fairly nice deal, right? Just delight yourself in the Lord, be happy in Jesus and he’ll give you whatever you want. Right? Well, perhaps decades ago shortly after the accident in which I became paralyzed, that’s the way I used to look at Psalm 37. Back then, I wanted to be healed. Above all else, I wanted to get back use of my hands and legs. And I figured that if I delighted myself in the Lord, he’d give me those desires. Isn’t that what the Bible verse says? But no, that is not what this verse is saying at all. Instead, it is saying that when you delight yourself in the Lord, he will place new desires in your heart that align with his. He’ll mold and shape the desires of your heart to reflect his wants and wishes. When you desire Christ above all else, you’ll find yourself wanting exactly what he wants.
And for a long time, that, that idea did not sit well with me. I still read Psalm 37 as though it were a guarantee for my healing. God will heal me if I make him my delight. Like, you know, if I do this, if I obey, God, then you’re supposed to do this stuff. And I guess that was my problem. I did not know how to delight myself in the Lord. Way back then, it was surface stuff. You know, going to Bible studies. Being involved in church. Keeping my nose clean, living right. Hanging up Scripture posters in my room. Listening to Christian radio, memorizing all my favorite worship songs. But as good as these things are, they are not – in themselves – the way you delight yourself in the Lord.
And over time, I would learn that. I’d begin to see that I delight myself in the Lord when I treasure him. Prize the beauty of his grace in saving sinners. I delight in him when I supremely value his sacrifice on the cross, so much so that it alters the way that I live. I delight in the Lord when he becomes the center of my universe; when absolutely everything I do revolves totally around him, as though he were the center of my everyday orbit. That’s what it means to delight in him: you behold his beauty; you gaze upon his greatness and you’re enthralled by him. Christ becomes the center of your world when you ask his Spirit to open your eyes to the depth of your sin, oh Jesus, show me, reveal to me, help me appreciate your amazing rescue, your mercy for me, your grace in saving a wicked sinner such as myself. When you and I look at Jesus like that, our desires are absolutely anything that’s going to honor him and glorify him as your Rescuer.
So, delight yourself in the Lord and be enthralled, be amazed at the desires that he places on your heart. I know as far as my wheelchair is concerned – and, yes, even my chronic pain – my heart’s desire is for whatever will bring the highest glory to my Savior. And if it means jumping up out of this wheelchair, if that would bring him greater glory, then bring it on. If it means remaining in this wheelchair for the rest of my life and showcasing his power through my smile and contentment in him, if that gives him greater glory, then bring that on. I leave it totally in God’s hands. I want whatever he wants. I want Christ in me, the hope of glory. Oh, friend, there’s so much more to say. So please, today, would you go to joniradio.org and ask for your free copy of “Where’s My Miracle?” Again, that’s joniradio.org. Ask for your gift, ’cause in it, I highlight more about those desires in your heart.
© Joni and Friends