DELIGHT THYSELF IN THE LORD

Psa. 37:4

Morning Meditation 6/13/17

Our meditation this morning is Psalm 37:4: “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

This is a very familiar verse to most of us. However, familiarity with truth sometime causes us to lose its meaning. The word “delight” (anag ) means “to be of dainty habit, to be pampered, to be happy about, take exquisite delight, to make merry over.” This is Strongs definition. It means that we treat our relationship with the Lord delicately. It is something that is fragile and must be treated with great care. We are to take exquisite delight in the LORD. It is to make merry over. That means that fellowship with the LORD is like having one of the greatest parties that you have ever been to in your life.

The word LORD is used in this verse. The word LORD is Jehovah "the existing One." It is the proper name of the one true God. It was unpronounced by the Jews, there reason being, that this name was so holy to them that even in the mispronunciation of the name would constitute blasphemy. This is the Name of God that God revealed to Moses in the burning bush.

The truth is that while this name of God does reveal Him more fully and completely than all the others, and His holiness is recognized, it is the name where God gives Himself more fully to meet the needs of undeserving people. God moved to deliver Israel not because they deserved deliverance but because He loved them and had the answer to meet their need. He was able to remove the barrier (sin) that separated Him from them. God worked many miracles for their deliverance until the night before they left Egypt. But He did not live in their midst. It was after the sacrifice of the Lamb that His presence went with them. Jesus is Jehovah (John 8:58) and He has made God accessible to all men by faith - Romans chapter 5 and verse 2 says “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” God’s holiness guards the way but Jesus became the door in the barrier of holiness into the very presence of God. Hebrews chapter 10 and verses 19-22 say “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

As Roy Hession says, “This is good news for bad people.” It is not hard to “delight thyself in the LORD” when one considers whom he is delighting in. Amen?

The words “And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” is a promise. The word “desires” (mish'alah) means “request, petition, or desire.” Is this a promise that you will get your prayers answered or that God will put His desires in your heart? I want the desires of my heart to be His will. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 13 says “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

There is so much of the time my times of meditation are clouded with personal needs or overshadowed by the impending duties of the day. I have to confess. I do treat this time with Him delicately; I am not pampering this time. I have just worked Him into my busy schedule. Of course, I never come away from that time of meditation with any more than I took into it. I came to this time uptight. I leave uptight. And you better watch out for me. Because if you push me a little too far, you might see an explosion. My wife, my children, the people in the office better watch.. They will see a side to me they did not know was there. During this time the desires of my heart are mine. I am on human viewpoint one-hundred percent.

“Delight thyself in the LORD” is what I didn’t do. That is sin for me. I don’t know that it is to you, but it is sin to me. So, I confess it as sin. I just come right out and say it! LORD, you have not been my delight today. I have not treated this time delicately. I have not focused on my enjoyment of you. I have not enjoyed You. You have not been the best part of my day.

The moment I confess this, I am forgiven. And the LORD in all His forbidding holiness becomes a Door of access into the grace of His presence. I am immediately forgiven. And brother, we cannot be more right with God than the blood makes us. It is not a miracle that delivered the children of Israel, though the miracles were there. It was the blood of that lamb that pictured the blood that Jesus would shed when He came. When they got under the blood, JEHOVAH came in the cloud and in the fire and made His home with them.

Excuse me. I feel a spell coming on again! My dignity is gone. But what do you expect at a party?

May the Lord bless these words to your heart.

In Christ

Earl White, Gal 2:20