"May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose." Ps. 20:4
Today is Thursday, so I'm pondering on the topic of "Faith and real life" - what faith looks like, and how we live it out. Today I read the verse above from Psalm 20:4. Verses that talk about getting what my heart desires always catch my attention, and the blessing in this verse follows half a dozen other "May He" blessings listing some of the things God does for us - answers in times of trouble, protects us, sends us help, sustains us, remembers us, and accepts our sacrifices. Then there is this last one.
"May He give you what your heart desires..." Oh, I like that. There are many things my heart desires and, to be perfectly honest, I don't think they are bad things to ask for. Nothing like a sports car or expensive vacations or revenge on my enemies. Just simple things like health, children, time with family. Yes, God, please give me what my heart desires!
"...and fulfill your whole purpose." Hmm....other Bible translations (this is the HCSB) translate this as "and make all your plans succeed," but I like the wording here because it makes me ask, "What is my whole purpose?" Not just my plan, but my purpose? Not just what I want to happen, but what God wants to do in my life?
In Acts 13:36, Luke speaks of the time of King David, saying, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation..." (NIV). The HCSB puts it this way: "David, after serving his own generation in God's plan..." As much as I don't care to admit it, I'm not in charge here. I have desires and hopes, and I do what I can to bring them to fruition, but the real plans and the purposes are not mine, but God's. Will I be able, at the end of my life, to say that I served God's purpose, according to God's plan, in my generation?
What this means for me today is that, instead of spending so much energy focusing on my heart's desire, I need to invest time considering God's plan and purpose, in obeying what He has already revealed to me in His Word, in building my relationship with Him through prayer and studying His Word, in asking Him, and then allowing Him, to mold my character to the image of Christ. If I'm focusing on fulfilling God's purpose, then I think trusting Him with what my heart desires will be a little easier.
Today is Thursday, so I'm pondering on the topic of "Faith and real life" - what faith looks like, and how we live it out. Today I read the verse above from Psalm 20:4. Verses that talk about getting what my heart desires always catch my attention, and the blessing in this verse follows half a dozen other "May He" blessings listing some of the things God does for us - answers in times of trouble, protects us, sends us help, sustains us, remembers us, and accepts our sacrifices. Then there is this last one.
"May He give you what your heart desires..." Oh, I like that. There are many things my heart desires and, to be perfectly honest, I don't think they are bad things to ask for. Nothing like a sports car or expensive vacations or revenge on my enemies. Just simple things like health, children, time with family. Yes, God, please give me what my heart desires!
"...and fulfill your whole purpose." Hmm....other Bible translations (this is the HCSB) translate this as "and make all your plans succeed," but I like the wording here because it makes me ask, "What is my whole purpose?" Not just my plan, but my purpose? Not just what I want to happen, but what God wants to do in my life?
In Acts 13:36, Luke speaks of the time of King David, saying, "When David had served God's purpose in his own generation..." (NIV). The HCSB puts it this way: "David, after serving his own generation in God's plan..." As much as I don't care to admit it, I'm not in charge here. I have desires and hopes, and I do what I can to bring them to fruition, but the real plans and the purposes are not mine, but God's. Will I be able, at the end of my life, to say that I served God's purpose, according to God's plan, in my generation?
What this means for me today is that, instead of spending so much energy focusing on my heart's desire, I need to invest time considering God's plan and purpose, in obeying what He has already revealed to me in His Word, in building my relationship with Him through prayer and studying His Word, in asking Him, and then allowing Him, to mold my character to the image of Christ. If I'm focusing on fulfilling God's purpose, then I think trusting Him with what my heart desires will be a little easier.
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