Lasting Desires!

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" Psalm 37:4(KJV)

I remember a while back how I misunderstood this scripture. I was trying with all I have to delight myself in the Lord. I will sing some songs, and to some extend, along came joy. You see, I came from a perspective that God wants me to rejoice and then He will fulfill the desires of my heart. So the burden was upon me to find joy and delight in the Lord. So if it meant locking yourself in a room to worship until joy comes, so be it. Don't forget, joy comes in the morning. However, that is not who God is. There's something wrong with that picture. You see, any scripture has to be consistent with what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus is the Word of God; the living Word. We should see all scripture through the prism of the finish work on the cross. Remember the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? After Jesus died and rose from the dead, two disciples were on the road to Emmaus and they were talking about the events that happened. Jesus showed up and starting walking with them. They seemed confuse about the whole situation. And the Bible says:

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27 NIV

I want us to focus on verse 27: "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself". Unless we see Jesus in all the scriptures, we are not seeing the truth. So how does Psalm 37:4 fit in with the finish work of Jesus? Let me just break it down: starting from Adam, we were all under a system. It's a very subtle system that looks right from the surface, but the end thereof leads to death. The system says: You are Not; You must Do in order to Be. Isn't that what the serpent told Eve? They were already created in God's image; but he started the argument that "she is not like God; she needs to EAT of the tree in order to be like God. But if we put Christ in the equation, Christ turned the tables. He shouldered the burden so that we won't have to. Christ is the source of our joy. When we listen to the Gospel (good news), what Christ did for us, that will produce joy and delight. Delight yourself in the Lord: how? Allow him to delight you. Let Him sing over you. That is how you delight yourself in the Lord. The joy of His salvation; his word will wash over you and bring you unspeakable and inexplicable joy. When you are in that state of joy and peace, you become more sensitive to him. It is at this moment that you will be able to recognize the desires and thoughts that He places in your heart. For

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; Isaiah 55:12 NIV

This happens effortlessly from your part. It is God who births forth the desire and the will.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Phil 2:13 NIV

Let the peace of the Lord rule/reign in your heart. Peace is multiplied in us through the knowledge of God (2 Pet 1:2). When we have the right knowledge of who God is, peace will be the natural outcome. Let your heart be filled with lasting desires!