Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Thoughs on today's verse:

Too often we waste desires on ourselves! Stop and think about that for a moment. In today's world, there is a dangerous movment that exists known to some as the prosperity gospel, or the health and weath gospel. It has even gone under the moniker of "name it and claim it." Call it what you will, it is damaging. Among verses that are claimed in support of the idea that God wants us to be rich, etc., is this one. However, when the Psalmist instructs us to delight ourselves in the Lord with the result that the desires of our heart being granted, does he really mean that if we want a million dollars, or a new house, etc., that the Lord will give those to us? So many people have fallen prey to this deceptive teaching - it has literally ruined many lives!

Matthew 6:33 can help shed some light on the matter: "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." We know the verse, and perhaps have quoted it to others, but we do well to remind ourselves that the "these things" in view are the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, clothing - not the things dedicated to oppulence. In fact, most of us have no personal experience with this kind of need, for how many of us have truly not known from where our next meal would come? How many of us have truly run out of clothing (and I'm not talking about the need to do laundry?). It is this true need in life that God addresses in Matthew 6:33 and he says, don't fret about it, even though it is a legitimate need, I know that you need it, but I want you to focus on your relationship with Me, and I will take care of you.

There we realize that God's taking care of the person is in their basic life sustenance. Remember, the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head! One commentator on this verse pondered that "whereas the wicked live for themselves and by themselves, the righteous trust in God and receive from God their legitimate desires" (Craige, WBC Psalms 1-50, p. 298). Our desires should incline toward God and the things of God - to know Him better, to abstain from sin, to live a life pleasing to Him. Remember Paul's desire in Phil. 3:10-11 - "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

So, rather than thinking about what you would ask from the mythical Genie, focus on delighting yourself in the Lord!