The theme verse for my ministry is Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” For years I misunderstood this verse to mean if I spent time with God, I’d get what I wanted. Sort of a genie in a bottle concept. However, I now know it means to spend time with God, delight in Him, enjoy His company by reading the Bible, praying, listening, praising Him with song and much more. When I truly am connected to God, who loves me unconditionally, my heart changes. My desires are for the things He desires and wants to accomplish through me in this life. I love that. I am a vessel to serve Him. I desire to publish my novel. God may or may not open that door in my life. However, I know my desire to write has been used over and over to encourage others. The desire of my heart is being met just in a different form at this time.
On Good Friday this year, I was shocked when I read a bit further into the Psalm. I attended a station-driven Good Friday service. Each station taught about a different part of the day Christ was crucified. It touched my heart so deeply and I wept at various sections of the event. When I reached the confession station, my sin stared at me and I wept and asked for forgiveness. God granted it, as He always does. I moved next to communion. The verse at this station was Psalm 37:4-5. My heart lept as I read the familiar verse. Then, verse 5 caught me off guard.
In the New International Version of the Bible, verse 5 says “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” Once again I wept. I always stopped at the place in the verses where I get my desires. I need to commit my plans, agenda, dreams, hopes, life, etc., daily to Him. I was doing the trust part but not the commit part. I then read verse 5 in the New Living Translation which starts with “Commit everything you do to the Lord.” I not only missed verse 5 all these years but I was missing the everything part. I committed my kids, my parenting, my marriage but not my day to day normal stuff. My conversation with the grocery clerk. My drive to/from my destinations of the day. My daily schedule. I gave Him my big stuff but not my daily stuff. The daily stuff is where I get tripped up. When I get cut off on the road, I am not very God-like in my response. When my plans fall apart, I don’t inquire how God wants to use that new free time in my day, I just press on with what I want to do. I didn’t just stop short to read a bit further, I stopped short at experiencing more. You see when I commit everything I do to God, He’s a part of all of my day. Not just when I need Him or have a problem. He shops with me. He orders In and Out with me. He watches Amazing Race with me. Before, He was just a part now He is a whole. He is in my whole life, my whole day, my whole emotional state. I am forever grateful I read a bit further on Good Friday.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Dream Big!
P.S. I plan to blog every Monday now. Please pass this along to friends and encourage them to follow me. I’d love to inspire and offer a smile to as many as will listen (read).
debbie wong 