Welcome to Day 30. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on Psalm 37:4.
Read Psalm 37:4.
"Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."NKJV
Psalm 37:4 contains a wonderful promise from God in it. Let me show you how the Amplified translation of the Bible translates it: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart."
That last part, "He will give you the .....secret petitions of your heart." I love that truth and I have seen it play out in my own life!
For example, as I was praying many years ago for a husband, a church minister was praying with 'my husband to be' for a wife. The extraordinary part of this event is that since I was in my early teens, I had a desire to be a church minister's wife. The man that God chose for me had just acknowledged that God was calling him to the ministry. We have now served in a few churches in Ireland! God had a good plan and He gave me the desires of my heart.
What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord?
What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord?
To delight in the Lord is to enjoy all the blessings that we find in Him. This delight is found in the 'secret time' that we spend in God's presence.
David wrote this Psalm. We know David as the shepherd boy who fought lions and wolves protecting the sheep. We know him as a praying man who knew God. He knew God so well that he was not afraid to fight against Goliath the giant. David became king and had many trials during his lifetime. But he knew how to delight himself in the Lord, especially during times of duress.
Delight yourself in the Lord - Hebrew meaning
The word translated as 'delight' comes from a Hebrew word that means soft, moldable, or pliable. It is a root word that implies pleasure and enjoyment.
This is a wonderful word picture of our hearts becoming softer and more pliable as we are molded in our Master's hands. As we delight ourselves in the Lord's presence, He is able to mold our hearts to become more like His. When we spend time practicing the presence of God, He is able to give us His desires for our lives that match His will.
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:13, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."
Another Hebrew word that we find in Psalm 37:4 that is worth noting is the word for LORD. The Hebrew word for 'LORD' used here is, YAHWEH. This is the personal name of the God of Israel. Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God meaning I Am, The Self-Existent One. I Am. He was. He is. He always has been and always will be. He is the Self-Existent One with no beginning and no end. You can read more about God's name here.
We are been invited to delight ourselves in the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel, the God and Father of the Messiah, Jesus Christ our savior.
Join me below for a short devotional on how to delight in the Lord and join me in prayer at the end of the post too.
Short Devotional: Take Delight In The Lord
The word 'delight' is such a joyful word. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this word as a high degree of gratification or pleasure, as extreme satisfaction or something that gives great pleasure.
The more you delight in the Lord, the more He is able to deposit His plans and desires for your life into it. The more time that you spend in His presence, the more access God has to mold you into the person He has created you to be. You will then naturally yearn for the things that God has planned for you. Your desires will match up with God's desires for you!
How to delight in the Lord
So how can we delight in the Lord?
Well, David the Psalmist and writer of Psalm 37 has great tips to share with us. He was well experienced with delighting in the Lord. David had learned to delight in God even in the midst of danger. We talked in a previous devotional about how David wrote and sang Psalm 34 while hiding in a cave in Adullam.
David has given us 3 tips on how to delight in the Lord in Psalm 37.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Psalm 37:3.
Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Psalm 37:7
Psalm 37:4 is not a promise that God will give you whatever you want but it is a promise that as you seek God with all your heart and delight in Him in His presence, then He promises to fill your heart's desires because you will want what He wants. Your desires will match up with God's.
What is God saying to you through our verse today?
Download our free guided prayer journal or use a notebook to answer the following questions.
Today's devotional is based on Psalm 37:4 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 31 scriptures about God's presence in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook and answer the following questions.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart.
Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verses today, Psalm 37:4.
Scripture Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying Psalm 37:4.
Yahweh, I take great delight in you. I long to be in your presence. Thank you for forgiving my sins and welcoming me continually into Your presence. Fill my heart with Your desires and plans. Mold and shape me into the person that You have created me to be. Amen.
Connect: Join me on Facebook and Instagram for daily encouragement. If you have enjoyed this devotional, share with Facebook using the button below or pin the graphic above to Pinterest. Help me spread God's joy to everyone! If you would like to have more fellowship with a wonderful bunch of faith-filled women, come over to our Facebook Group, Restoring Beauty For Ashes.
And if you need a gift from our shop for yourself or a friend, you will find the current discount codes on our Welcome Page.
xx Karen.
