Delighting in God

THIS WEEK God has demonstrated His faithfulness to me. I have great appreciation for His faithfulness and for this meaningful relationship with Him that doesn't end. He has answered my prayers and made His presence known in my life. He has also shown me a few verses that really speak to me.

On Wednesday Pastor Ryan discussed the importance of putting our desires under God's Lordship, or conforming our wants to His will. He used Psalm 37:4, which is the verse that graces the front cover of my Bible Study journal. So I read Psalm 37, and verses 3-5 blew me away.

Psalm 37:3-5, "[3] Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. [4] Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. [5] Commit your way also to Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

Isn't it awesome to think that the same God who created everything is looking after me and you? Isn't it mindblowing to imagine that He is concerned and involved with our activities, and that He is faithful to us and doesn't walk away? It amazes me. I celebrate God because of His faithfulness, which I have observed to be real even this week.

On Thursday morning it was raining lightly. Any other day I would not have minded, but the FISH club, the Christian club at my school, meets outside at the flag pole every Thursday morning before school. I was afraid that nobody would show up because they wouldn't want to be rained on.

So I prayed. I asked God that if it were His will, He would let there be some way that the FISH club could meet that morning. When I got to school, it was still raining. Nevertheless I went and stood by the flag pole. I put down my belongings and I waited for a few minutes, until my friend Riju came and joined me. A few minutes later another friend, Misha, came and made three. In a while, five of us were standing by the flag pole, and two had brought umbrellas! Another friend showed up at the very end and made six. Not only did we not get rained out, even as the rain and wind got harder, but we were able to stand and encourage each other with our favorite verses. We also got the attention of the people walking by, who probably thought we were crazy. Crazy, but dedicated! They see us every single Thursday morning when they walk by, even when it rains!

Immediately after we were finished praying, the rain slowed significantly.

It's a small story, but it is big to me because it shows me that God heard my prayer. Psalm 37 tells me that if our efforts are for the Lord's glory, if they are within His will, then He will stand with us over them. If we "commit our works to the Lord," as verse 5 says, indeed "He shall bring it to pass." After all, if our actions are done to serve and honor Him, of course He will bless them! Of course He will stand by us and give us the victory, even if getting there is a challenge and a test of faith. He is victorious by nature, He answers our prayers, and He is the source of our victory and strength and success.

Another true story: On Friday morning I was looking for a check that somebody had given me to support me in my fundrasing for the mission trip in June. I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find it. I was very scared, because I needed to cash this check to use for the initial deposit on the trip. I was so afraid. What if I misplaced it? What if it doesn't turn up? What if I couldn't go on the mission trip? And how could I have been so irresponsible?

So I prayed. I asked God that if it were His will, I would find the check. I walked with a sad heart to the Bible Study meeting. I shared my concern with my friend Arun. When we discusses Psalm 37, we came across verses 23-24. "[23] The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. [24] Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." When we were talking about these verses, Arun reminded me not to worry, but to just trust God that He is in control. When the group prayed, we mentioned the check. We gave the concern to God.

When I went to my first class that day (still praying) I looked for it some more. And I found it. I found the check! I found it exactly where I had thought it would be, and where I had looked twice already that morning. I don't know how I missed it before, but I'm grateful to God that He allowed me to find it. I excused myself and hid in the restroom for a few minutes just to thank God for answering my prayer.

With that check, plus the donations of a few other friends in the past few weeks, I had not a dollar less or more than the $50 I needed for my deposit, which I turned in this morning. That tells me that God is taking an interest in my efforts, and that is a very exciting and comforting thought.

Whenever I look at the cover of my Bible Study journal, I can read Psalm 37:4 and be reminded that God blesses those who delight in Him. On Wednesday I learned that to "delight in the Lord" means to make Him the source of delight in our lives. It means that we are willing to do anything He says, just because pleasing Him gives us this delight that nobody can take away. It means that we do not seek joy in empty places, but get our joy from the God who will never forsake us. If we do this, our joy will be full and in constant, eternal supply, even when things look bleak.

And most amazing of all, God will delight in us if we delight in Him. As Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." My wish for me and for you is that we will find delight in the God who will never walk away, and who will uphold us when we walk in the path of righteousness and well-founded faith. I hope that we will have hearts that are willing to do anything, even improve, to honor God. And I know that we will find joy because the God who made us for Himself will be smiling with delight.