Encouragement for Today - Jan. 18, 2010

January 18, 2010

The Desires of His Heart

Jennifer Erin Valent, She Reads Featured Author

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Devotion:

When I was young, my girlfriends and I used to play a game where we would choose different ideals we had for our lives, from whom we wanted to marry, to what car we wanted to drive. Life seemed so simple then! In just one short game, I could plan my life out from start to finish. Funny thing is, I never did marry Johnny Depp, I don't live in a mansion, and I don't drive a Porsche.

Well, I was young, and it's certainly a blessing that I didn't end up having to live out the life I planned for myself then. But what about now? As an adult, I've had plenty of dreams for my life. I think I'm pretty intuitive about myself, and I've got a good idea how I think things should go. And since Scripture says the Lord will give us the desires of our hearts, shouldn't these things be coming to pass?

Maybe not. The Lord knows a whole lot more than we give Him credit for, and maybe what He has planned for our lives doesn't match up with what we have planned.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "‘For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (NIV).

What a promise! In just a few words, this verse tells us how much God loves us and how much He wants to bless our lives. He wants our short walk on this earth to be worth so much! But then, what about those desires of our hearts? Where do they fit in?

The Hebrew definition of the word delight in Psalm 37:4 is interesting; it involves the idea of being soft and pliable. Makes me think of clay. I've used small blocks of clay before, and in order to be able to work with one, I need to hold in it my hands and get it warm and soft, ready to be formed into the shape I intend for it to be. Sound familiar? "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isaiah 64:8, NIV).

As the Potter forms us, we begin to know Him more. His thoughts become our thoughts. That's when God does more than grant us the desires of our hearts; He actually provides us with those very desires. We no longer want what we want, we want what He wants. And it is most certain that whatever the Lord wishes to bring to pass in our lives, He also desires to freely give us.

We're so often caught up in our own ideas that we forget to listen to His. What a difference it would make if we had God's best intentions at heart. If we could just step out in faith that our Father wants our very best, and that of all things on this earth, we could never have better than what He gives. What peace that would bring to us all. What delight that would bring to our Lord.

And what gifts that would place at our feet when He both provides and fulfills the desires of our hearts!

Dear Lord, help me to see how much You love me and how much You want for me. Take my heart in Your hand and fashion it after Your own heart so that I will know the beauty of what You desire for my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Fireflies in December a novel by Jennifer Erin Valent. This book is a current She Reads selection - visit the site to learn more about the novel and its author.

Follow this link to P31's She Reads and enter today's giveaway:

One grand prize winner will receive the first two novels in this series by Jennifer Valent - Fireflies in December and Cottonwood Whispers—as well as two beautiful hard-cover devotional books: The Daily God Book: Words of Wisdom, and The Daily God Book: A Year of Listening to God.

Plus, a second runner up will win both of Jennifer's novels, and a third runner up will win Fireflies in December, the first book in the series.

Shaped with Purpose CD and companion Workbook by Renee Swope

What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst

Application Steps:

Make a point of counting your blessings daily. When we focus on God's many blessings, we see more and more how much He loves us and how many good things He gives us.

Scripture is full of God's promises to us. Search for them and remember them! God's unchanging nature and unfailing love are the cornerstones of faith. If He said it, He meant it, and those promises are a reassuring haven when life seems out of control.

Reflections:

Which of God's promises will remind me during today's particular challenges that I can trust the Lord with my future?

In what ways has the Lord blessed me already today?

Power Verses:

Ephesians 1:3, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." (NIV)

Luke 12:6-7, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (NIV)

Proverbs 31 Ministries

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