Delight Yourself in the Lord

by Scott Kaczorowski

It might sound spiritually cliche, but Psalm 37:3-4 has been a passage that the Lord has brought up in my life over and over again: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

As a young man pining for a wife, the Lord would say to me, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Wait on me, Scott.

When I was teaching English in Korea and a situation arose where it looked like I would want to return home, the Lord said to me, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.”  Stay put, Scott.

(As an aside, if I had disobeyed Psalm 37:3 at that time and left Korea prematurely, then the Lord would not have fulfilled for the me the promise of Psalm 37:4–at least not in the way that He did.  Because eventually I married a Korean girl.  Another interesting aside.  I don’t know if I have ever noticed this connection until right now.  After I had determined in my heart to stay, the Lord in His graciousness worked the particular situation out in my favor anyway.  I did not have to suffer loss to stay.)

When my wife and I were contemplating moving back to Ohio after I finished seminary, I woke up one morning and felt like the Lord spoke to my heart, “dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness…” (see NASB translation).

So as you can imagine, it was significant for me that this passage played such a prominent role at the beginning of The Falling in Love Again with Your Lord for Men study.  God has been bringing up Psalm 37:4 for me quite a bit these days and in various ways.  I have found in my life over and over again that when the Lord reiterates Himself, that means He is going to do something.

Now if you have ever heard this verse preached on, the train of thought might run something like this: Yes, there is a promise here.  But this verse also intimates that God wants something.  He wants us to be delighted in Him. With promises like this, we are tempted to put the accent on “and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  But from God’s perspective, the accent really belongs on delight.  And it’s only then that our hearts are renovated in such a way as to desire what is good and pure.

This can be a helpful reminder so that we don’t get too self-focused or mistake the twisted desires of a sinful heart as something that the Lord desires to give us.

But I want to break down the perceived dichotomy between Psalm 37:4a and Psalm 37:4b for a minute.  I want to argue that eagerly trusting God for what He is going to do for us is a way of delighting in Him!  Do you feel like this is “selfish”?  Consider the “selfishness” of the following verses:

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life…” (Romans 2:6-7).

“…set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 1:13).

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Of course all these promises are about what God will do when Christ returns.  But our salvation is not entirely future.  There is present grace as well as future grace!* God gives a small foretaste now** of what will be the case when He ultimately and definitively moves His hand for His people in the return of Christ and the restoration of all things.

So I want to encourage you today to a godly “selfishness.”**  What do you want the Lord to do in your life?  What would you desire from Him?  How would you want Him to transform you?  How would you want Him to move His hand in your life so that when you see the power and the might of His grace working on your behalf your heart literally bursts forth in exultant praise: “My God is glorious!”  We now can see why this is a godly “selfishness.”  Because He satisfies us.  And that glorifies Him.  “…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15).

So seek Him for it.  Trust Him when there’s not an answer right away.  (God usually makes us wait for His best gifts.)**  It might not happen in just the way or at just the time that you think it should.  After all, there is still a lot of renovation that our hearts need before we perfectly and purely desire even the good things that God has for us.  And, yes, God is sovereign in His good plan and perfect timing.

But let me point out one last observation (lest the proceeding caveats end up being an occasion for lack of faith).  At the end of the day, Psalm 37:4 is a promise. Yes, there is a context in which this happens: “Delight yourself in the Lord…” But remember, God has also promised that He will move in the hearts of believers so that they do delight in Him (see Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:25-28).  God does this fundamentally at salvation.** If you are following Jesus, you do delight in God (it can be no other way).***  And He will continue to work in your heart so that you delight in Him more and more.  What that means is that every true believer in Jesus Christ fulfills and will fulfill the condition of Psalm 37:4a: “Delight yourself in the Lord…”  Because God will see to it.  But this also means that every true believer in Jesus Christ will (ultimately and in God’s way) reap the promise of Psalm 37:4b: “…and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

So seek after God to move powerfully in your life.  And like Jacob, who had spent the whole night wrestling with the angel of the Lord and said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26), don’t let go until you have a satisfaction that glorifies Him.

 

Footnotes:
*Readers familiar with John Piper’s book Future Grace (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 1995) will catch the reference, as well as the influence of Pipe’s thinking throughout this post.
**I may owe this language to another writer/speaker.
***cf. the comment of Tom Schreiner: “Genuine love for God involves a willingness to follow Jesus” (in The Law and Its Fulfillment [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1993], 233, cf. 232).

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Observe Who You Serve

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 5:17-26 ESV

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees  
and teachers of the law were sitting there.
They had come from every village of Galilee  
and from Judea and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.  
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat  
and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.
19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat  
through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  
20 When Jesus saw their faith,  
he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.  
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking  
to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked,  
“Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  
23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  
24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them,  
took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.  
26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.
They were filled with awe and said,  
“We have seen remarkable things today.”
______________________________

We all were once paralytics, unable to live for Christ,
unable to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.
We lived for ourselves.
But now, we have been forgiven.

Jesus has commanded us to
get up, take up our mat, and walk.

Luke 5:24
I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.

We are to go home, to where the Lord has placed us
and live for the Gospel.
We are no longer to live like a paralytic.
We are no longer to live bound in sin,
laden with the concerns of this life,
and looking just like the world.

Ask yourself,
do you live as though Jesus forgave you of your sins?
Do you live like He healed you from your paralysis
and gave you a whole new life?
Do you live like Jesus died?

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ.  
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  
And the life I now live in the flesh  
I live by faith in the Son of God,  
who loved me and gave himself for me.

Or do you live to for your own desires?
Do you live to seek your own way, your own fame?

Or do you seek the things of Christ?

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

The true measure of a man is whether he follows the Lord in his
inner life and private walk with God.

So often we measure a man, and ourselves,
with the external details of life.
But we must measure ourselves by our inner obedience.
We must observe ourselves and ask, “Who do we serve?”
We ourselves will struggle to know our inner motivations and desires.
Even our family members may not be sure of who we serve.
We need God’s help.
We have to ask God to search our hearts.

Who do you serve?
Joshua once said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Listen as he speaks to the Israelites.

Joshua 24:16-24
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that
we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods,  
17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us  
and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,  
and who did those great signs in our sight
and preserved us in all the way that we went,  
and among all the peoples through whom we passed.  
18 And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples,
the Amorites who lived in the land.  
Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.”  
 19 But Joshua said to the people,  
“You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God.  
He is a jealous God;  
he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.  
20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods,
then he will turn and do you harm and consume you,  
after having done you good.”
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.”
22 Then Joshua said to the people,  
“You are witnesses against yourselves
that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.”  
And they said, “We are witnesses.”
23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you,
and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.”  
24 And the people said to Joshua,
“The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”

Pray and meditate on this passage.

If Jesus has healed you from your paralysis,
if He has forgiven you of your sins,
will you pick up your mat and follow Him?
Will you “put away the foreign gods that are among you and
incline your heart to the LORD,” the God who is
the author of your salvation?

Joshua 24:24
And the people said to Joshua,
“The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE
Write out the following passage from Luke 5 and recite it 3 times.
Take it with you throughout the day.

23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  
24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them,  
took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.   

PRAYER

Lord, you alone are God.
You alone have the power and the authority to forgive sins.
You came to earth to save your people from their sins.
Help us to pick up our mats and follow you.

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
_____________________________

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Do You Ever Feel Paralyzed?

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 5:17-26 ESV

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees  
and teachers of the law were sitting there.
They had come from every village of Galilee  
and from Judea and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.  
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat  
and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.
19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat  
through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  
20 When Jesus saw their faith,  
he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.  
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking  
to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked,  
“Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  
23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  
24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them,  
took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.  
26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.
They were filled with awe and said,  
“We have seen remarkable things today.”
______________________________

Do you ever feel like you are the paralytic?
That you are unable to move or even cry out to Him for help?
Or that you find yourself in the midst of a situation and
don’t know which step to take next.
You feel paralyzed and can’t make a move?
Are there times when even the Word of God
cuts like a knife and seems to bring no comfort?
Times when you may have been sucker punched
and all the wind has been knocked out of you
and you just can’t get up?
Times when you may have been beaten, pummeled, scoffed at,
rejected, misunderstood, run over, and stepped on?
When you find yourself so heavy laden that you can’t lift a limb?
When you are so weak or confused
that you cannot climb that roof?

You don’t want to be unfaithful, but you are hurting and lay limp.
You want to trust in the Lord and to be pleasing to Him,
but something is standing in between
your “want to” and your ability to.

In that hour we need to humble ourselves and call on our friends.
We need to ask them to lift us up,
put us on a mat, climb the roof, lower us down,
and place us before Jesus.

He does hold the whole world in His hands.
He alone can heal all, even the paralytic.

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following passage from Luke 5 and recite it 3 times.
Take it with you throughout the day.

23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  
24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them,  
took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.   

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank you for faithful friends
who are willing to take me in prayer before your throne of grace.

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
_____________________________

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