Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Sometimes, we see the things we don’t have instead of what we have in us. Sometimes, we just want so many things out there. We want this and that and this and that. But if everything is taken away from you and all you have is God, and you don’t ask for anything more because you are satisfied with just being in God, then God will give you all those things that are in your heart.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Sometimes, we see the things we don’t have instead of what we have in us. Sometimes, we just want so many things out there. We want this and that and this and that. But if everything is taken away from you and all you have is God, and you don’t ask for anything more because you are satisfied with just being in God, then God will give you all those things that are in your heart.
The dictionary meaning of 'delight' is 'extreme satisfaction'. Imagine this little girl who is delighted with being in the sun. Normally, we think that kids would prefer all sorts of other things like toys and games, but this little girl was different. Her mother would ask her to come into the house, but all she wants to do is to spend her whole day, dancing in the sun.
The sun makes her world a better place. When you are with God and when God shines on everything you do, God makes your world a better place. You can see everything around you – they look so much more beautiful now when God shines on them than before. Before this, from your eyes, all you see is ugliness. All you saw was hopelessness and failure. But in God's light, God causes you to see success and a future.
Secondly, when this little girl is in the sun, she is a whole new person. Similarly. when you are in God's presence, not only do the things around you change, but you also change. You change to be a person full of life – you have energy. You are happy, You dance. You are who you are in God. You are confident, You are not afraid of your circumstances and the endless negative outcomes. You have all the boldness and courage you need to face the challenges that are in front of you.
When we are in God's presence, we will not bother about what others think. We just do whatever we want to do. You can be yourself and yet be satisfied with who you are. You don’t have to be what other people wants you to be when you are in God's presence.
Besides that, when this girl in in the sun, nothing else matters to her. The same goes with you: when you are with God, nothing else matters. This morning, I was so upset about everything. I felt like everything is hopeless and a failure – who I am is a failure, what I want to do with my life is a failure, what I have done is a failure. But after I read this verse, it all fades away. Suddenly, nothing else matters but God. Suddenly, all my cares and worries just fades away. And I realize that this world is not about me and them but it is about me and God. And that’s all that matters.
Not only that, but if this girl was locked up in the house all the time instead of in the sun, her world would be so small. Out there in the sun, our world is open to so many things. But in the house, everything is cluttered and our world is only so small. All we think about is ourselves: our problems, and our sorrows, our failures and our hopelessness. But out there, in God's light, everything around us illuminates. We can see the whole world. We see the joy of being God's child.
When she is in the house, she can have happiness, but she cannot have joy. She can have light, but it is not sunlight. All the things you enjoy without God can only bring happiness for a glimpse moment, but it can never be joy. We will never be satisfied. We will always have that emptiness and loneliness and hopelessness in us. Nothing can replace the joy of being with God.
When she is in the sun, it seems like timeless time. When we are with God, time is bogus. It is timeless time. It is a second and a day. It is a day and a year. It is a year and a millennium. There is no difference in time.
It is obvious that this girl is a person who wants to be free. When we are out there, we can be free. We can do anything. We have everything. There are no limits and no bounds. Everything is possible. Nothing will be able to contain the joy we have inside us. Nothing can separate us from God's love – no height nor depth, nor principalities nor powers, nor things in the past, nor things present, nor things to come. We can go all out for God when we are in His presence, and nothing can stop us. We are free.
When this little girl is in the sun, she is alone. So what if we are alone? It is great to be alone. Because we are not alone, but we are with God. Being in His presence alone is one of the most refreshing gifts to ask for. Here, God will reveal to you everything that is personal and meaningful to you.
Well, how does she delight in the sun? She soaks herself in the sun. We just want to be totally soaked in God. We just want more and more of God. And we can never have too much of Him.
What is the sun? It is something that causes her to grow. We are living organisms. And all living things need the sun to grow – including us. And if we have the sun, it is only right that we grow. How can we have the sun and yet not grow? If you are in God's presence, soaking every day and you still don’t grow spiritually, then it can only mean that you are not living – which means that.. you are dead. Spiritually dead. Everyone who hears God's word and soaks in God's presence has to grow. And if they are not growing, then they are spiritually dead.
The sun makes her world a better place. When you are with God and when God shines on everything you do, God makes your world a better place. You can see everything around you – they look so much more beautiful now when God shines on them than before. Before this, from your eyes, all you see is ugliness. All you saw was hopelessness and failure. But in God's light, God causes you to see success and a future.
Secondly, when this little girl is in the sun, she is a whole new person. Similarly. when you are in God's presence, not only do the things around you change, but you also change. You change to be a person full of life – you have energy. You are happy, You dance. You are who you are in God. You are confident, You are not afraid of your circumstances and the endless negative outcomes. You have all the boldness and courage you need to face the challenges that are in front of you.
When we are in God's presence, we will not bother about what others think. We just do whatever we want to do. You can be yourself and yet be satisfied with who you are. You don’t have to be what other people wants you to be when you are in God's presence.
Besides that, when this girl in in the sun, nothing else matters to her. The same goes with you: when you are with God, nothing else matters. This morning, I was so upset about everything. I felt like everything is hopeless and a failure – who I am is a failure, what I want to do with my life is a failure, what I have done is a failure. But after I read this verse, it all fades away. Suddenly, nothing else matters but God. Suddenly, all my cares and worries just fades away. And I realize that this world is not about me and them but it is about me and God. And that’s all that matters.
Not only that, but if this girl was locked up in the house all the time instead of in the sun, her world would be so small. Out there in the sun, our world is open to so many things. But in the house, everything is cluttered and our world is only so small. All we think about is ourselves: our problems, and our sorrows, our failures and our hopelessness. But out there, in God's light, everything around us illuminates. We can see the whole world. We see the joy of being God's child.
When she is in the house, she can have happiness, but she cannot have joy. She can have light, but it is not sunlight. All the things you enjoy without God can only bring happiness for a glimpse moment, but it can never be joy. We will never be satisfied. We will always have that emptiness and loneliness and hopelessness in us. Nothing can replace the joy of being with God.
When she is in the sun, it seems like timeless time. When we are with God, time is bogus. It is timeless time. It is a second and a day. It is a day and a year. It is a year and a millennium. There is no difference in time.
It is obvious that this girl is a person who wants to be free. When we are out there, we can be free. We can do anything. We have everything. There are no limits and no bounds. Everything is possible. Nothing will be able to contain the joy we have inside us. Nothing can separate us from God's love – no height nor depth, nor principalities nor powers, nor things in the past, nor things present, nor things to come. We can go all out for God when we are in His presence, and nothing can stop us. We are free.
When this little girl is in the sun, she is alone. So what if we are alone? It is great to be alone. Because we are not alone, but we are with God. Being in His presence alone is one of the most refreshing gifts to ask for. Here, God will reveal to you everything that is personal and meaningful to you.
Well, how does she delight in the sun? She soaks herself in the sun. We just want to be totally soaked in God. We just want more and more of God. And we can never have too much of Him.
What is the sun? It is something that causes her to grow. We are living organisms. And all living things need the sun to grow – including us. And if we have the sun, it is only right that we grow. How can we have the sun and yet not grow? If you are in God's presence, soaking every day and you still don’t grow spiritually, then it can only mean that you are not living – which means that.. you are dead. Spiritually dead. Everyone who hears God's word and soaks in God's presence has to grow. And if they are not growing, then they are spiritually dead.
* tRUST & OBey the LORD *
