Trust and Delight in the Lord

 

 

 

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

—Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV)

 

 

When we trust in the Lord and do as He guides us, we have His promise that we will dwell in the land and receive His provision. The land spoken of in Psalm 37:1 was the Jews’ Promised Land. We, who are reborn as the children of God in Jesus Christ, will dwell in the fulfillment of God’s promise to us and receive His provision. We will not only inhabit the life He has for us but will receive it abundantly (John 10:10). 

 

Psalm 37:2 does not promise that when we trust in the Lord, He will give us whatever we desire. However, it does say that when we trust in the Lord, He will place His desires in our hearts. When we delight in the Lord, we trust Him. This is one of the humblest and most predominant ways to receive guidance and direction from the Lord.

 

 

Strong’s Concordance states that the word “delight” in Psalm 37:4 means, “to be soft or pliable.”  To receive guidance from the Lord, our hearts must be “soft and pliable” toward Him.

 

What we “dwell” on—or think about—is what we become sensitive to. If we want to “dwell” in God’s promises, our hearts need to be trusting, leaning, pliable, and listening to Him. If we don’t “dwell” on God, our hearts become hardened to His guidance and direction. Focusing on the things of God keeps our hearts soft and pliable and able to hear His voice. If our hearts are humble and sensitive toward the Lord, then His desires will be foremost in our hearts.

 

In Psalm 1:2, David said those whose delight is in the Word of God and who meditate on it day and night will be blessed. This expresses what David also expressed in Psalm 37:4. When you “delight” yourself in the Word, you meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8).

 

Delighting yourself in the Lord and in His Word does not happen overnight.  You choose to delight and place your trust in the Lord every day. You commit yourself not to be distracted by what your physical eyes see and your physical ears hear and what your natural mind rationalizes. You focus your thoughts on God’s truth and not anything else. You become transformed in the spirit of your mind with His truth. You hear the Word of His truth in your heart. You believe by faith in what He has promised. You place faith in the abundant and life-affirming promises of God revealed to you in Jesus Christ.

 

Are you waiting for His promise?  Do you believe it in your heart? Do you delight yourself in His Word and follow His leading? Do you allow His faithfulness to encourage you?

 

“Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13).  

 

The Spirit Himself bears witness that we are in Christ. If we dwell in Him, we will inhabit the life He has given us. Dwell in God’s truth, and let the Word of God dwell “richly” in you.

 

“Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5).

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

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