In this crazy world of ours, what we might consider as desires of the heart often are so very far from what that really means.

Soul H2O Devotion

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Desires Of Your Heart

Years ago, my friend Marcy Wurch left me a note under the windshield wiper of my car. This timely message encouraged me to look up Psalm 37:4 “in my little pink Bible”. What Marcy didn’t know is that I was in the middle of writing my first book, Water In The Desert and about to quit.

Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart
Psalm 37:4 ESV

Misquoted & Misunderstood

I feel this verse and others like it have been misquoted and misunderstood by many, but as I read the verse and all those surrounding it, I heard loud and clear the message God was trying to speak to my heart.

I remember thinking, “Who am I to write a book”. I mean, I was a fairly recently divorced and remarried woman with a depressed child. That’s the part the enemy kept reminding me about but he was leaving out the part of how I had been overcoming the difficulties life had brought my way with strength in God and a renewed passion for His calling on my life.

Reading this verse reminded me how the desires of my heart to write books actually were from Him, given at a Woman’s Day Apart in my mid-twenties.

The True Meaning

The very word desire hints to the fact that some desires are truly God-given, as the verse says!

The word desire comes from the Old French word desire, which is made up of two root words: ‘de’ meaning ‘of’ and ‘sire’ meaning ‘father’. Quite literally, ‘of the father’.

{If you want to geek out,
you can check the Endnotes
at the bottom for my research
into the etymology of the word.}

The Desires of Your Heart

The enemy may want you to discredit your desires, but if you’ve had a longing that languishes, a wish that won’t leave, a dream that doesn’t die, maybe it’s time to ask if it’s ‘of the father’. When the answer’s ‘yes’, follow the psalmist’s advice in the next verses…

“Commit your future to the LORD! Trust in him, and he will act on your behalf. He will vindicate you in broad daylight, and publicly defend your just cause.” (Psalm 37:5-6 NET Bible)

Prayer

Father… Thank You for giving me the desires of my heart. Help me to discern which are from you and what ones aren’t. Let your plans for me flourish as I seek to diminish mine to line up with yours. In Jesus Name…Amen

Soul H2O Resources

Find on your favourite Podcast Platform or on the episode Show Notes –>

When The End Is Better Than The Beginning | EP #103

Features an interview with author, and Women on The Frontlines Global Director, Wendy Peter. She’s talking about stepping with courage into God’s call for the next stage of your life.

http://www.soulh2o.com/103