I Delight in the Great I AM

Hello sweet friends!

There's been a lot of talk about a "hot minute" or "hot while," and the fact that we get so busy-busy with life's "squeaky wheels" that we are unable to do everything we've set out to do.  Purposed to do.  Thought we could do?
That's me. 
But, I didn't realize until this school year started just what that "hot minute" could infer: y'all it's been hot.  

The Good Lord has brought us along in our (Mike's and my) journey, giving us insight into what's next, for how long, and what it will require.  Every step we take, we bite our bottom lip and with (somewhat) hesitation we say, "alright Lord, let's do it."  

To be honest, there's a lot more reservation in me than resides in my husband.  And at great length, I DO come around, but I have to confess that it's not been the easiest of "surrender" this year.  
School.
Ministry.
Children.
Parents.
Friends.
Community.
Neighbors...

As time goes on, I'm learning what it means to "delight yourself in the LORD." (Psalm 37:4)
I've always had a hard time with this saying in its antiquity and the fact is, upon study, my flesh is not always ready to "delight" in much of anything. 
That's why I'm still learning.  I'm still being chiseled and chastened, shaped and sharpened.  It's a growth that, as I stated above, is involving all areas of my life.  To the glory of God and God alone, amen.

All of Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the **LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."  I'm not a brand new Christian, but I am finding out how this and Matthew 5:2-12 (the Sermon on the Mount) are related.  
**Note: "LORD" in all caps this way, refers to the personal name of God.  He is YHWH, which is "I AM," the all-sufficient One, self-sustained and above all else.

God is good; let me start with that.
I'll add to it, God is sovereign.
Lastly, God is in control.
It's easy to refer to Psalm 37:4 when speaking to a Christian about God's favor on the obedient.  We tend to go this direction when we teach that in doing "a, b and c" we should get "x, y and z."  
But the heart of this verse is such that "delighting" oneself has more to do with the constant surrender to God's will, pleasure and commands, and less to do with obtaining reward following our doing for Christ. 
It carries the intentional posture of submission to God's ways, God's thinking, God's call on your life and mine as Christians, which then ultimately gives us the desires of our hearts as they become more aligned with Him who is 
Good,
Sovereign, and
in control.

When you marry this to the passage in Matthew (again found in Luke 6), you come to understand what delighting yourself in the LORD is, and what that looks like for the Christ follower.
"...poor in spirit..." (Matt. 5:3)
"...those who mourn..." (v.4)
"...those who are meek..." (v.5)
"...those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." (v.6)
"...the merciful..." (v. 7)
"...the pure in heart..." (v.8)
"...the peacemakers..." (v.9)
"...those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake..." (v.10)
"...[those who are reviled, persecuted, slandered for Jesus' name]..." (v11.)

And though the list may look uncanny and backwards, foreign and maybe even unfavorable, this is the list that adheres itself to the ones whose desires of their hearts are filled. 

Our hearts are evil above all things and super bad, y'all.  The Bible shows and tells us this throughout scripture, but most explicitly in Jeremiah 17:9.  Our motives, are thoughts, our intentions base themselves in a heart that is broken, corrupt and ridden with sin from birth.  Rightly ordering this inherent chaos takes more than a bargain to do good to get good things.  Works for reward from God does not fix the problem of our bent and tendencies toward our flesh.  
God who is good, sovereign and in control is the One who brings pure and true desires to pass.  He's the One who works in us "both to will, and to work for his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)  As one processes through life in sanctification by His Spirit, we become increasingly aligned with His will, His ways, His glory, His good, His desires, His heart. 
Our hearts are aligned with His.
Our desires are aligned with His.
And we're blessed.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit...theirs is the kingdom of God."
"Blessed are the meek...they will inherit the earth."
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness...they will be satisfied."
This is an echo from another place where it talks about the one who is blessed by taking delight in the LORD...
"Blessed is he who...delights in the LORD's instruction, and meditates on it day and night." (Psalm 1)
All of scripture may speak to the depravity of the human heart, AND scripture speaks to the antidote for our flesh - this delight in God, who He is and what He wants - throughout. THAT'S AWESOME!

This doesn't come naturally. 
We need to be taught. 
We need to learn from the Master Himself.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit Himself.
We need the blood of the Son of God Himself to break our hearts open to change for His Name's sake.  For our good; for His glory.

"Teach me, LORD, the meaning of Your statutes, and I will always keep them. 
Help me understand Your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. 
Help me stay on the path of Your commands, for I take pleasure in it. 
Turn my heart to Your decrees and not to the material gain. 
Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in Your ways. 
Confirm what You said to Your servant for it produces reverence for You. 
Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, Your judgments are good. 
How I long for Your precepts!
Give me life through Your righteousness."
Psalm 119:33-40  

God calls us to a life of delight.  A life of happiness.  A life of blessedness.  A life full, abundant, lively, good, and wonderful.
He does this by way of molding us to His commands, statutes, instruction.  
What did we say before?
He is good - therefore, we trust in His ways.
He is sovereign - therefore, we trust in His supreme authority to guide.
He is in control - therefore, we trust in His ability to do what is right.

It's not a life of do good, get good.
It's a life of follow Good, be blessed.
I'm learning still, but...

I delight in the Great I AM.
Lord may it ever be, and continue to glory! Amen.

Much love,
Deeds

IG: mercies_journaled
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