Happy New Year!
The question on each of our minds is this: What does this new year hold in store for each of us? Will there be more trouble? Will this year’s troubles make last year’s look like a walk in the park? Or … perhaps … will this year bring me my … heart’s desires?
Of course, we all know the secret to having our hearts’ desire, right? It’s written plainly in scripture, right? “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” (Psalm 37:4 NLT). That’s simple enough, right? If we want this new year to bring us our hearts’ desires, we need to simply, “take delight in the Lord…”!
I just read a story, however, that made me rethink this. It made me ask, “Do I truly even know what my heart desires? And if I do, is the desire of my heart what is right for me, for everyone?”
The story is found in 1 Samuel 8. The prophet, Samuel, had been judging Israel for many, many years, and he was growing old. Unfortunately, his sons, whom he had appointed to judge Israel in his stead, were not trustworthy as Samuel was: “But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.” (1 Samuel 8:3 NLT). The people had enough, and they began to think about what their hearts desired in regards to who led their nation. It didn’t take them to realize that what their hearts desired was… A king! “Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. ‘Look,’ they told him, ‘you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.'” (1 Samuel 8:4-5 NLT).
But there was a problem with what the hearts of the people of Israel desired: It wasn’t God’s will to give them a king. God wished to be their king, and this was God’s reply when Samuel took the matter before the Lord: “’Do everything they say to you,’ the Lord replied, ‘for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.'” (1 Samuel 8:7 NLT).
Notice, however, that God doesn’t say, “Tell them ‘NO’!” Rather, in His love, He tells Samuel to give them the desire of their hearts. He tells Samuel to give them a king, just as they requested!
Was it the best thing for Israel?
Not at all. In fact, God had Samuel give the people a list of reasons why they didn’t really want a king. Samuel responded to the people: “This is how a king will reign over you…” (vs. 11 NLT), and he proceeded to list out many excellent reasons. Nonetheless, God told Samuel to give them what they wanted.
Much could be said here about why God did this. Perhaps it was because the people had so repeatedly rejected Him. But the point of this devotional isn’t about why. It’s about the fact that God granted them their hearts’ desire, even when it wasn’t a good thing for them.
In the midst of the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, I knew exactly what my heart desired: I trailer with a bathroom so that we could go camping without having to worry about using public washrooms. I told God about this, and I claimed the promise of Psalms 37:4. I knew exactly what I wanted, too, and I watched the used RV ads closely until I found one that we could afford. I was sure God was granting me this desire of my heart, and we proceeded to purchase the trailer. Upon getting it home, however, it became apparent that my desire wasn’t necessarily inline with His will. Not knowing much about used trailers, we overlooked several key problems, problems that cost a lot of money to fix. And the “fixes” were just that: fixes! The trailer was still old, and we had no idea when the next thing would break/fall-off, etc.
I went back to the Lord and asked Him why He hadn’t stopped me from buying this trailer.
His response? He was giving me my heart’s desire!
Where had I gone wrong?
The same place Israel of old went wrong: We both skipped an all important step! Neither Israel nor myself bothered to ask God if our hearts’ desires were in line with His will…
There is a safeguard in this Bible verse. It tells us that God will give us the desires of our hearts when we, “Take delight in the Lord…”
What does it mean to “take delight” in the Lord?
It means to be with Him, to enjoy His company, to seek His guidance, to respect His wisdom. Had Israel not been so busy convincing themselves they wanted a king, they might have heard His voice of wisdom through Samuel, telling them it would be better for them to allow Him to be their king. And had I not been so busy telling God how much I wanted a trailer, I might have heard His voice of wisdom telling me it would be better to wait…
What is it your heart desires this New Year? Why not spend some time seeking the Lord and taking delight in His presence? When you do, the desires of your heart will come inline with His desires for you, and you will be sure that what you get is truly the best thing for you!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two adult boys, Author — “Aboard God’s Train — A Journey With God Through the Valley of Cancer”, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, The Illustrator, a four-times-a-week internet newsletter, and the Sermon Illustrator website, all with Answers2Prayer Ministries.
