INL July 14, 2006  

SOUNDING OUT:
Delight In and Desire God

  There is no way to develop a relationship with God without developing a relationship with His Word. God’s Word establishes God’s will. Our heavenly Father decided He would communicate Himself to mankind through His Word. Therefore, if we want to learn of Him, we must come to His Word.

  The greater our desire for and delight in the scriptures, the more simple our walk with our loving heavenly Father becomes.

Psalm 37:4:
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

  Does this verse say, “Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give thee whatever you desire.” No, it doesn’t. It says, “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” If we delight in Him, our desires will be transformed.

  Delight in God has a transforming power, and lifts us above the gross desires of our old-man nature. Delight in God is not only sweet in itself, but it sweetens the whole soul, till the longings of the heart become such that the Lord can safely promise to fulfill them. Such grand delight in God molds our desires until they become like the desires of God?

  Our foolish sense-knowledge nature recognizes a desire, and then sets to work to obtain what we desire. We do not go about it as God suggests, which is to seek Him first, and then expect all things to be added unto us in due course.

Matthew 6:33:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

  If we will let our heart be filled with God till it runs over with delight, then the Lord Himself will take care that we shall not want any good thing.

Psalms 34:8-11:
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

  God provides exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. He can do for us far more than all our friends. It is better to be content with God alone than to go about fretting and pining for the trifles that we think will fulfill us. Nothing but the love of God makes life meaningful, and His Word is what makes His love known.

Psalm 107:9:
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

  It is well to have longings, and the more intense they are the better. The Lord will satisfy soul-longings, however great and all-absorbing they may be. Let us greatly long, for God will greatly give. We are never in a right state of mind when we are contented with ourselves, and are free from longings. I had a motto for many years, “Always thankful never satisfied.”

  Desires for more grace, and groanings which cannot be uttered, are growing pains, and we should wish to feel them more and more. God grant that we sigh and cry after better things, and for more of the best things!

Matthew 5:6:
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled [chortazõ, filled according to appettite].

  Hunger is by no means a pleasant sensation. Yet blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Such persons shall not only have their hunger relieved with a little food, but they shall be filled. What delightful morsels God supplies. Remember manna? “What is it?” God will fill with only the best.

  Come, let us not fret because we long and hunger, but let us hear the voice of the Psalmist as he also longs and hungers to see God magnified. "Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." “O how I love thy law!”

  Where else but God’s Word are we going to learn about God’s love? Where else but God’s Word are we going to learn how to operate the nine manifestations of the spirit? God’s Word contains all things that pertain to life and godliness. God’s Word tells us “what is available” regarding spiritual matters, and we renew our minds to claim it.

Psalm 119:161: SCHIN.
Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

Psalm 119:117:
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

  When our hearts stand in awe of His Word, and we respect it continually, it will be more than just a vain curiosity. It will be a longing that presses for fulfillment. Spending time with God in His Word develops our passion to live for God. We want to know God’s Word, so we can do God’s will.

  If we want to be men and women after God’s own heart, we have to be involved on a heart-level. Superficial pleasantries and niceties rarely make for a meaningful relationship. But when we live our lives with delight and passion for the things of God, even a mundane and routine life can be transformed by a heartfelt personal relationship with God, the Author of the Book.

  This next verse we are going to read became a regular prayer of mine before opening the Word.

Psalms 119:18:
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
  Now, the Psalmist could open his eyes. He was not blind. He could see. But is he really talking about physical eyesight? This is something he felt that he could not do by himself. He needed God’s help. Hence his prayer was directed to God, “Open Thou mine eyes.”

  Exactly, for what did he pray? To read the Bible? No, he could do that. To understand the words? No, he knew what the words meant. He wanted more out of his time in the scriptures! He wanted a relationship with the Author of the book. He wanted to know God’s Word as a personal communication to him. One in which he might see the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that God has for them that love Him.

  He felt that God had laid up great bounties in his Word, and he asks for power to perceive, appreciate, and enjoy the same. We need not so much that God should give us more blessings, but rather the ability to see and appreciate what he has already given us. The Psalmist asks for no new faculty. He does not desire a “sixth sense.” The eyes are there already, and they need only to be opened. It is our joy and responsibility to use the eyes, and God’s delight and responsibility to open them.

  It is during our time spent with God in His Word when we begin to learn how God speaks to our hearts. God’s Word expressly declares God’s will and lights our path so we can walk with Him. There is no substitute for being diligent to present ourselves approved unto God as workmen who need not to be ashamed as we rightly divide the Word of truth. When we know what the Word says, we know what God’s wants us to do. When we know what the Word declares we will be less likely to be surprised at His direction via the manifestations.

  There is no way to get around the importance of spending time with God in His Word. If we do not know His Word, we will never know His will and our attempts at walking by the spirit will be nothing but vain imaginations.