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How to Have the Desire of Your Heart

June 17, 2020 By Jennifer H. Yates Leave a Comment

17 Jun
How to Have the Desire of Your Heart

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4, NIV

The very word delight sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?

It means “to take pleasure in.” A delightful experience is one that we enjoy–one that we want to repeat. It brings satisfaction, joy, bliss. For many, delight is something reserved for vacation or a once-in-a-while treat. But David tells us in this Psalm that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts.

If we look at the context, David is comparing the life of the wicked to the life of the righteous. He is telling us that if we are looking around at those who are doing wrong and getting upset because they seem to have it all, we need to remember that if we keep our focus on the Lord, not only will we be blessed, but He will give us the very desires of our heart.

I used to read this verse and not really understand what it meant to delight in the Lord, but the more I seek Him, the sweeter our time becomes. I am very jealous of my time with Him. It never seems to be long enough, and when I have a Saturday that I can spend as long as I want, it is a delight indeed.

I awoke this morning at 3:30 with a migraine. I lay there for an hour before it occurred to me that if I just got up and started my coffee, I would have some extra time with Jesus. The migraine didn’t go away, but the next two hours were a delight.

We must remember that when we come before the Lord to read His Word, pray, listen, thank, and worship Him, He always shows up. What could be better than to have the Creator of the universe meet with you in the secret place and speak to your heart?

But what if your heart is broken and hurting right now? Maybe all you want is to have your heart made whole again, to be able to delight in anything. Does God really care?

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

Believer, God cares about everything that touches your life. He’s not disinterested in the petty things or unmoved by the major things that hurt you. He is in the business of healing and restoration.

I think we sometimes dismiss verses like this one because we think that it’s just a platitude. God would never really just give me whatever my heart desires, right?

That’s because we are putting the effect before the cause. If our focus is on what our heart desires, then we are not delighting in the Lord. If we are delighting in the Lord, we have the desire of our heart.

Because deep inside, every heart is truly longing for the One we were made for. And the more time we spend with Him and in His Word, the more His desires will become our desires.

When we feed our spirit with spiritual things, our souls will be satisfied. That’s what it means to delight yourself in Him.

So how about it? Want to have the desires of your heart? Surrender your heart to the One who created you, who knows your every need, every struggle, every heartache, every desire. Trust Him with your heart. Seek Him in the quiet place, and you will find the desire of your heart is fulfilled.

Struggling to find the time to seek Him each day? Get my FREE guide, 3 Ways to Study the Bible in 15 Minutes a Day!

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Filed Under: Quiet Time Tagged With: Bible study, Christian devotion, delight, delighting in God, devotion, heart, How to Have the Desire of Your Heart, Jennifer H Yates, Jesus, one thing, Psalms, quiet time, Seek Him First, seeking God

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About Jennifer H Yates

About Jennifer H Yates

Hey, friends! I'm Jen--wife, mama, and empty-nester. I love to write, read, and drink coffee, especially with friends.

I've found that many women struggle to find time and focus to grow their relationship with God through studying His Word. I encourage and challenge women with practical strategies and helpful resources for quality study in as little as fifteen minutes a day.

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We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click

We all have a place in the Kingdom. ⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel--the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:1-4, NIV).
All of Scripture, all of history, all of time has been about Jesus Christ, Son of God. 
Do you know Him? You can. His life, death, and resurrection are historical fact. All so that you could know Him and have eternal life.
Jesus loves you! ❤

"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee fo
"The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment" (Luke 23:55-56).
Can you imagine the horror these women had witnessed? Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others had followed Jesus and helped support his ministry (Luke 8:3).
Now all their hopes had been crushed as they stood at a distance and witnessed Jesus' agonizing death on the cross (Luke 23:49). His own mother had to stand by helplessly as her son cried out, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
As we women often do, they looked for a way to still serve Him, even in His death, by preparing His body for burial. Sometimes, it's the little things.
When our hearts are breaking and we think we can't take another breath, sometimes we need something in our hands--a burial spice, a casserole, a text that says I'm here.
We can't make the hurt go away, but we can channel it into something useful, something hopeful, something comforting.
As they rested on the Sabbath, I'm sure they anticipated the opportunity to see Him one more time, to minister to Him once more with the spices and perfumes they had prepared.
Hearts crushed, hands open.
Grieved but grateful. Resting but ready.
Because if there was anything they knew for sure, it's that Jesus was no ordinary man. And when hearts are turned toward Him, anything can happen.

God never called us to “blind” faith. We may b
God never called us to “blind” faith. We may believe without seeing, but faith is being sure and certain of what we don’t see, not what we don’t know. ⁠
The Israelites had historical facts on which to base their faith. That’s why God constantly told them to remember what He had done and tell it to their children. Their faith was in what they knew to be true, even though they didn’t always see it with their own eyes. ⁠
We, too, have facts on which to base our faith. The Bible is historically accurate and verified. If ever we needed to know what we believe, it’s now.⁠
⁠
Click link in bio to read post.⁠
⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus

It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like mo
It’s something I have a hard time doing. Like most women, when I do get still, my mind is still going 90 mph. I’m so distracted by all the preparations for the day. Sounds a little like Martha, who, by the way, is the one who invited Jesus over in the first place. But like Martha, I have felt the Lord’s gentle rebuke. He wants me at His feet. And really, that’s where I want to be. It’s not about time and focus. It’s about heart and desire. The rest will come. ❤️ #growingyourfaith #jesusfirst #wordbeforeworld #seekhimfirst #javawithjesus #womenintheword

Do you really want to grow your faith? What we fee
Do you really want to grow your faith? What we feed the most is what grows the most. 🍽️⁠
⁠
What are you feeding?⁠
⁠
Click the link in my bio to read this week's post.⁠
#prayerwarrior #bedeeplyrooted #prayerispowerful #praywithoutceasing #christianpost #christianblogger #womenintheword #livewithintention #shareyourheart #faithwriter #womenencouragingwomen #wordoflife #seekgoddaily #wordbeforeworld #jesusandcoffee #daughteroftheking #fiercelyhis #womenlivingwell #girlfriendsintheworld #faithblogger #givemejesus #graceupongrace #faithoverfear #seekhimfirst #growingyourfaith #womenoftheworld #intheword #lampandlight #shereadstruth #butfirstjesus ⁠


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