Dwelling and Delighting

Scripture:

Psa. 37:3        Trust in the LORD, and do good;
        so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4     Take delight in the LORD,
        and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Observation:

Again the Psalmist reminds us of the priorities of life. When we are consumed by our difficulties we are encouraged to trust in the LORD. In the midst of trusting we are to continue to do good and not to succumb to pressure. We are to dwell in the land which many ancient commentators believe refers to abiding or dwelling the Lord. David was a man who lived much of his life in exile and yet, he found a place to call home, and that was the heart of the LORD. He learned to dwell in the presence of God on high and here he enjoyed security. If you can imagine his life on the run there was not an earthly home which provided him with security but dwelling in God’s presence was a daily reminder that he was secure in the arms of God.

Resting and dwelling in God’s presence resulted in delight. When David trusted in the LORD, even in the midst of his difficulty he found joy and delight. The sun shone bright, the rain fell, daily life continued and there was delight in the little things. When we dwell in the presence of God then he brings a delight to our lives that we would not typically find possible. The result is that he gives us the desires of our heart.

For most days of David’s life he did not have an overabundance of luxury. Yes, there was a period of time when he did, but I don’t believe this was one of those times. Instead, the desires of the heart are those things which we need to sustain us on a day by day basis. Really, we don’t need too much — we need just enough. David knew how to dwell and delight.

Application:

Life can become pretty complicated but this Psalm seems to call us back to simplicity. When we live in simplicity we are able to take the time to dwell in the land — dwell in God’s holy presence. Seeking first his kingdom becomes the priority of our lives and therefore on a daily basis we seek out time to simply dwell with him. The enveloping presence of God’s peace can be overwhelming when we quietly dwell with him.

God’s character can be, at times, a bit of a surprise — an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise. There is joy and delight that we may have never imagined. God loves it when we spend time with him! We delight in him — and he delights in us. It’s mutual! In this time of mutual indwelling his passions become our passions and his desires become our desires. In this way he gives us the desires of our heart — which are the desires of his heart — and there is mutual satisfaction. We discover the joy of participating with God in his mission in this world. This can only come about by dwelling and delighting.

Prayer:

LORD, please help me to slow down in you today.  Amen.

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