Psalm 37:4

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart"
God knows us so well. In His infinite wisdom, He knew that even noble, believing humans would attempt to use Him as a means of getting ahead. Our motive for seeking God is often self-centered. Ideally, he enjoys being sought for the pleasure of His presence. He then delights in allowing the seeker to discover wonderful gains, but, because he knows us so well, He has methods for making the most of our sometimes questionable motives. He allows our greed to lead us on a treasure hunt where we ultimately discover the greatest treasure of all.

Psalm 37:4 is a perfect example-a feel good Scripture if you'll ever find one. God knew we would seek a Scripture promising the desires of our hearts. He also knew our self-seeking approach could lead us to an incomparable treasure. The end result motivates our first approach to Psalm 37:4: "He will give you the desires of your heart." Then the "end" causes us to consider the means: "Delight yourself in the Lord." True to our human form we become attentive to the means so we can reach the end.

We begin to question, "How can I delight myself in the Lord?" We can almost hear Him whisper, "I'm so glad you asked." As we make ourselves available to delight in God, He slowly revolutionizes our approach to finding fulfillment. Those who seek to delight in the Lord will ultimately develop a delightful relationship with Him; however, by the time God makes Himself the seeker's delight, the once self-seeking treasure hunter has been transformed.

Anyone who truly delights in the Lord will one day realize that God has become the desire of her heart. When He is our delight, we begin to want what He wants. We come to trust His best for us. When we struggle with self-seeking desires, we hit our knees in prayer. We become wise enough to ask Him to overrule any desire that would ultimately betray us. We no longer want anything that lacks His approval.

Why is the change of heart so important in the fulfillment of Psalm 37:4? Because hearts that do not delight in the Lord are destructive and deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure." To be safe, God must transform the heart. Until we learn to delight ourselves in the Lord, we cannot trust the desires of our hearts. What our fleshly hearts want on their own can lead us to make the worst decisions of our lives. Can you remember a time when your heart led you down a destructive path? I certainly can. I want my heart's desire to reflect His desires.

Psalm 37:4 is a transforming Scripture. In our treasure hunt, we discover a new depth of relationship with God, an indescribable delight, and a safety valve for our hearts. Treasures worth hunting-no matter what our original motives may have been.
--Beth Moore