Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4
I have read so many different interpretations of this verse, mainly regarding what the second half of that verse means. Is God giving me desires or fulfillment of desires? What desires of my heart will He give me? Will He first give me wholesome desires, then fulfill those? Will He implant the desires of His heart into my heart?
I think there might be truth into all those interpretations. I am not sure if there is only ONE, correct view of this verse. But... I read an awesome book that has really got me thinking -- Mike Bickle's The Seven Longings of the Human Heart. Let me share what he observes these longings to be:
- The Longing to be Enjoyed by God
- The Longing for Fascination
- The Longing for Beauty
- The Longing for Greatness
- The Longing for Intimacy without Shame
- The Longing to be Wholehearted
- The Longing to Make a Deep and Lasting Impact
I must say that I think he is dead-on. Not just my conversations and observations, but my own heart can testify to each one of these seven longings being real and present. These are the desires of my heart of which I feel Psalm 37:4 is referring.
Next week, I want to look at the first half of the verse. Click here to read Part 2 about delighting in the LORD."People spend an inordinate amount of time alternating between denying desires and fulfilling them in unhealthy, ungodly and even destructive ways. Imagine the time and energy we would save if we acknowledged these longings as inescapable, God-given desires, and then positioned our hearts to allow them to be answered and satisfied in the way God intended." ~ Mike Bickle
