1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:06,730 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,790 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,540 --> 00:00:18,220 Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and 4 00:00:18,260 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by Psalm 37, verse 4, which says, 5 00:00:24,579 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you 6 00:00:27,860 --> 00:00:33,430 Speaker 1: the desires of your heart. What's the substance of most 7 00:00:33,470 --> 00:00:36,949 Speaker 1: of your prayers? When you come before the Lord, do 8 00:00:36,990 --> 00:00:40,050 Speaker 1: you praise Him for who He is? Do you confess 9 00:00:40,090 --> 00:00:43,300 Speaker 1: your sins to Him and seek His cleansing? Do you 10 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: thank Him for what He's done in your life? Or 11 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,140 Speaker 1: do your prayers primarily consist of asking God for various 12 00:00:50,220 --> 00:00:54,580 Speaker 1: things that you're convinced you need? How many of our 13 00:00:54,660 --> 00:00:59,020 Speaker 1: needs are actually necessary? If we took a hard look 14 00:00:59,060 --> 00:01:01,780 Speaker 1: at some of these things, What we'd probably find is 15 00:01:01,820 --> 00:01:04,980 Speaker 1: a collection of items that we're trying to rely on 16 00:01:05,340 --> 00:01:08,729 Speaker 1: to bring a sense of peace and satisfaction to our hearts. 17 00:01:09,550 --> 00:01:12,289 Speaker 1: We're convinced that money will bring us peace, so we 18 00:01:12,390 --> 00:01:15,670 Speaker 1: ask God for it. We're convinced that the absence of 19 00:01:15,730 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: physical pain will bring us peace, so we request it. 20 00:01:19,660 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: We're convinced that fewer trials will bring us peace, so 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: we express that longing as a need. Yet the scriptures 22 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,990 Speaker 1: reveal to us that We can be content in Christ. 23 00:01:31,610 --> 00:01:34,610 Speaker 1: When we have Jesus, we truly do have all we 24 00:01:34,709 --> 00:01:38,750 Speaker 1: really need. He invites us to be satisfied in Him 25 00:01:39,190 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: and through Him. He encourages us to delight in Him. 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,860 Speaker 1: As we delight in Him, He's pleased to grant us 27 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,620 Speaker 1: the desires of our hearts. But interestingly, delighting in Him 28 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,980 Speaker 1: helps us to realize that Christ is who our heart 29 00:01:55,140 --> 00:01:58,810 Speaker 1: really needs. The Lord doesn't intend to give us the 30 00:01:59,010 --> 00:02:02,810 Speaker 1: idols we once longed to worship. Rather, He has given 31 00:02:02,930 --> 00:02:07,950 Speaker 1: us Himself and is teaching us to find contentment in Him. 32 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:15,060 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for Your Word. And 33 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:16,700 Speaker 1: we thank You for the privilege that it is to 34 00:02:16,740 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: be able to read this portion of Psalms together today. 35 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: And Lord, as we look at this portion of Your Word, 36 00:02:22,220 --> 00:02:25,780 Speaker 1: You tell us to delight ourselves in You. And you 37 00:02:25,820 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: tell us that you'll give us the desires of our heart. 38 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: But Lord, so often we're confused about what that really means. 39 00:02:33,410 --> 00:02:36,529 Speaker 1: Sometimes we start labeling all sorts of things in this 40 00:02:36,610 --> 00:02:40,310 Speaker 1: world as if those things are needs, when really they're 41 00:02:40,330 --> 00:02:44,869 Speaker 1: just wants and sometimes they're idols. Sometimes we're convinced that 42 00:02:44,910 --> 00:02:48,630 Speaker 1: the things of this world will satisfy our hearts and 43 00:02:48,650 --> 00:02:52,650 Speaker 1: will satisfy our deepest longings. But as our faith matures, 44 00:02:53,310 --> 00:02:56,710 Speaker 1: You show us that our deepest longings are only satisfied 45 00:02:57,169 --> 00:03:01,370 Speaker 1: through you. And when this scripture really plays itself out 46 00:03:01,790 --> 00:03:04,930 Speaker 1: and our faith really begins to grow, it starts to 47 00:03:04,970 --> 00:03:10,290 Speaker 1: become clear that our hearts are designed to desire you. 48 00:03:11,050 --> 00:03:14,190 Speaker 1: You are to be the desire of our heart. And 49 00:03:14,230 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: that's exactly what we want our lives to be focused on. 50 00:03:17,970 --> 00:03:20,020 Speaker 1: So Lord, by your grace, we pray that we wouldn't 51 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: get caught up in all sorts of things that we 52 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,310 Speaker 1: start to believe will bring us some level of deeper satisfaction. 53 00:03:28,410 --> 00:03:31,610 Speaker 1: The things of this world can't satisfy our deepest longings. 54 00:03:32,210 --> 00:03:35,850 Speaker 1: Only you can. So thank you, Lord, for this reminder 55 00:03:35,890 --> 00:03:38,430 Speaker 1: from your word today. And we pray that in every 56 00:03:38,510 --> 00:03:41,290 Speaker 1: context you place us in, that we would learn to 57 00:03:41,350 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: delight ourselves in you. We're grateful to know you. We're 58 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: grateful to be able to walk with you. And we're 59 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,500 Speaker 1: grateful to be able to find the satisfaction our hearts crave. 60 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:58,590 Speaker 1: rue you. We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.