Where Are Your Desires? - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - August 29
Desiring Eternal Treasures
By: Keneesha Saunders-Liddie
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart – Psalm 37:4
As a young girl, I heard this verse repeatedly. Sometimes it was in relation to getting a baby, a husband, or a boyfriend. However, as I study God’s Word and grow to know him more and more, I have realized I didn’t really know the heart of this verse.
The desires of the heart are unique to everyone. What I desire and long for might not be what you really want. Maybe you wait in long lines for the latest iPhone to be released. Or maybe the day your favorite show drops another new season, you can hardly wait to get home to start binge-watching.
There are others who long to be noticed and loved by their parents or children, others who are waiting for a letter of acceptance to college or a job or project.
What, if anything, do all of these desires have in common?
They are all earthly.
Nothing is wrong with any of these desires, however, if you did what the Scripture tells you to do literally--- to delight yourself in the Lord, I am positive your desires will begin to shift.
God is an eternal God; all that he is does not think or dwell on any of the earthly possessions that we possess here on earth. Does that mean that God is not concerned about your prayer request for earthly possessions? No, but if we find true rest and contentment in God, our thoughts, desires and wants will begin to align with his.
Would you rather gain this world and lose your soul, or would you delight in his Word and promises and be content with all that he provides? Whether we realize it or not, God is taking good care of us; he gives us health and strength; he gives us food, a job and a place to sleep.
He has provided everything we already possess and will possess and all he wants from us is total surrender (delight) and contentment.
There is a restlessness that envelopes someone that is never content. They go through their whole life searching and never having peace.
“Seek ye the first the kingdom of God and everything else that your heart longs for will be provided.” This will happen because you and God will be in harmony. There would be no room for disappointment because God longs for you to know that he has your best interests at heart. God should have first priority in your life. Do not seek satisfaction from this world because it will always fall short. Only God can exceed and give you everything that your heart longs for. So, fully delight in him.
Keneesha Saunders-Liddie is a writer, avid reader and Jesus lover. She recently started a blog https://womenlovinggodsway.com to encourage women to show Christian love to others and to share biblical counsel with anyone who needs it. She firmly believes that the bible has the answers to everything that pertains to life. She is a wife, mother and student. You can connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest.
Related Resource: Instead of Doing More This Summer, Maybe You Need to Do Less
If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
