The Desires of Our Hearts

Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

One of the grandchildren awoke yesterday morning, sat down with the morning paper (excuse me, advertisements), and saw her heart's desire--an MP3 player for $25!  She asked her dad if she could have it, and he asked her if she had the money to buy it.  For her that was a resounding, "yes!" to her question.  Dad said if she had the money she could buy it!  (She doesn't deal in rhetoricals.)

She came upstairs and asked me if I had any jobs she could do to earn the extra $15 she needed for the MP3 that her dad said she could have if she had the money.  I had a rather large project that I was undertaking for yesterday morning, so I said sure, she could help me completely empty the closet and reorganize it, and clean the rest of the bedroom.  For 2 solid hours she worked like a servant, joyfully earning the remainder of the money for the desire of her heart.

Her mom and the other children were leaving for the store, and she called to her mom that we were going to Big Lots.  We proceeded to Big Lots, where she lovingly handed over her $25 (she owes me $2 for tax.)  How thrilled she was to finally have what her heart has desired for some time now!

There was only one problem.  Her mom did not really want her to have an MP3 player and had told her so several times in the past.  When she delightedly showed it to her, she did not get the response that she hoped for.  Mom was not as excited as she was, Gogi felt used, and all was not well.  

How often do we as Christians delight ourselves in the things of the world, giving God the credit for something He really did not give us, using Him to justify our selfish desires?  I don't really believe that this verse means that whatever we want we get because we love the Lord.  I believe that this passage is telling us that as we delight ourselves in the Lord, HE will place in our hearts HIS desires.  We will want what HE wants for us; our heart's desires will be HIS heart's desires, and "The things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of HIS glory and grace."

The story ends in favor of my granddaughter.  Her mom realized that she was trying to hold on to her baby, and not letting her grow up a little.  She granted that she could keep what she worked so hard for, but that it will be strictly monitored.  Good thinking, Mom!  Don't you love a good mom?

Our Lord grants us much.  Oh, that our heart's desires will be HIS desires for us, and that we will not have to rely on HIM to say, "Okay, you can keep it.  But you will be strictly monitored.  You don't have complete freedom in this."

(The lyrics to the following hymn were in­spired by the Gos­pel tract, "Fo­cused" by  Isabella Lilias Trotter (14 July 1853 – 28 August 1928) a missionary for over 38 years to the Muslims of Algeria.The tract  in­clud­ed these words:  "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full in­to His face and you will find that the things of earth will ac­quire a strange new dim­ness."

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

by Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,

His perfect salvation to tell!

 

Praying for myself and my grandchildren that the things of earth will grow dimmer as we look into His glorious face,

Gloria