When I introduced this subject I said that there were some important points I wanted to cover.
• what I was taught this means
• how I was taught to employ that in my faith
• the real fruit it produced
• why this can be dangerous
• the real meaning of this passage
In part 2 I covered the first three points.
The other night when we lost power, I spent some time reading Romans by candlelight at my kitchen table. Something in Romans chapter 5 really lept off the page for me:
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
As it pertains to being taught that getting the desires of your heart is a direct result of your faith, I find the wording here very interesting. For so long I believed what I was told, and remained confused as to why seemingly so many people I knew who were strong in faith, were sick or struggling through so many different kinds of trials and stressful situations. This contradicted the teaching and it was hard to reconcile it or make any sense of it.
I had met a sister in Christ in the reformed faith, and shared with her some of what my church's teachings were. Understandably, she was very concerned.
Over the next several months, she encouraged me almost daily, to look up key verses that were going to open my eyes, she said, to some deeper understanding about the Christian life. Her one constand message was "context!" Her advice was to never just read one verse, or a part of a verse, but take in the entire context. Go to the beginning of the chapter and see who it was written to. What was happening? Who was speaking? What was the subject? Were there recorded objections, and if so, how were those objections handled? These were questions that she suggested I ask myself as I was reading Scripture. This was brand new to me, I had never so much as heard of this way of approaching the Bible.
It was when I began to do this, that I really did have my eyes opened. It was nothing short of amazing to me the things I began to learn in the Bible simply by studying it, praying about the things that I didn't understand, and going back day after day to re-read those verses.
Back to Romans 5:3-5.
Verse 3 says "And not only so, but we glory (rejoice) in tribulations (pressure, afflictions, distress) also: knowing that tribulation worketh (brings about) patience"
This is not to say that when we suddenly find ourselves in a trying situation we bust out laughing and say "right on!, this is GREAT!" No, I don't know anyone that does that. It does however speak to the correct attitude we're to have about such things. We are to rejoice that such times of trials will bring about patience in our lives. The trying times are not what we rejoice in, it's what's coming that we are to rejoice in.
Verse 4: "And patience, experience; and experience, hope"
Consider for a moment, if you were converted to Christ, and never once had any pressure in your life. Not 1 illness, not 1 stress filled moment.
Clearly according to this passage (and others) these things in our lives bring about much good fruit. The events themselves may indeed be painful and heartbreaking - but it's what comes AFTER these events, and knowing how we're to approach them in our conduct & attitude, that is important here.
I don't recall the setting, but once my late husband made a comment in mixed company (believers and unbelievers) that shocked almost everyone. The comment was "I'm so glad God brought about this cancer into my life". He was as serious as he could have been, but the reaction was quite extreme. Some folks looked at him like he just said he ate their kitten.
What he meant by that, and what he explained, was quite simple. After the diagnosis of cancer, the gospel of Christ began to mean something to him. Thoughts of eternity, heaven, hell, faith, life - they all meant something when they didn't really mean much before. Once he was converted to Christ, then baptised 3 months later, along with myself and 3 of our older children who also professed faith, everything in his life had changed. He had ample opportunity to speak about Christ to his black-leather-clad head-banger friends (yeah, I used to be a metal head... spooky, eh?). He began to study his Bible like a thirsty man takes to water. He began to pray for great lengths of time. He was like a kid in a candy store sometimes, he just couldn't get enough. When I look back at verses three and four together, I very much see Ben's life (and how the cancer in it) played out there.
That's what he meant when he said he was glad for it. He wasn't glad for the cancer itself, it was brutal and destructive and extremely painful. He was rejoicing in what had come as a result, and what was still to come.
Verse 5: "And hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
When I read that verse, for some reason I picture in my mind what it looks like when you fill a glass full of water. Filling it all the way to the very top. This is how I understand what this verse is saying. We are not disappointed in this hope we have because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Isn't that simply incredible? Our hearts are filled with love, assurance, and hope, by the Holy Spirit.
If I only had 1 verse in all of Scripture to show that the desires of your heart (and lack of illness, stress, trials, etc.) come strictly to those who are strong in faith and never once waver in their Christian walk, this one would do just fine. Look at who Paul is writing to by going back to verse 1 of chapter 5: Those justified by faith, who have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is writing to US, reminding us that there are things that will come along in our Christian life that we need to approach with the right attitude.
DANGER - FALSE TEACHING AHEAD
One of the reasons I said this teaching I was once under is dangerous, is because it will derail the believer off the tracks of true Biblical teaching, and a proper, reverent perspective of just who God the Father is - and put you under a bondage to your works, like you'd never believe possible.
Before you know it, you're actually focused on yourself, instead of Christ. Your words, your thoughts, your service, your relationships. You're striving to measure up to what you think is the standard of the uber-faithful, and you will be disappointed every single time. Why? Because measuring ourselves to the standards of other men is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
While there are certainly those in our respective fellowships & the larger evangelical world that we might see as mentors or great teachers (we all have those that speak to our hearts and teach us SO much), the better part of wisdom is to make sure we never elevate them to a place they shouldn't be. A friend said to me today "the best of men are still men at best". Unfortunately, when we're using these people as the standard to check our faith by, we forget this.
While consistant self-examination before God in prayer is indeed something we must be doing, it's critical to understand where our wisdom, guidance, strength, peace and mercy comes from. It comes from Him, not from within. This false teaching I was once under often suggested that a stronger, more robust faith was something we could somehow achieve by being a more dedicated believer. The focus was always on YOU, and what YOU could do, to improve your life as a Christian.
When we lose Christ as the focus, as the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2), we're on extremely dangerous ground.
WHAT IT REALLY MEANS
Coming back to the passage that started all of this reflection to begin with:
Psalms 37: 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Verse 4 is the key here. Actually, the first part of verse 4 is the key.
Delight thyself also in the LORD. Verse 3 says trust Him, and do good. Verse 4 says delight yourself in Him. Verse 5 says commit your ways unto Him, and again trust Him.
Such a glaring contrast between focusing on your own works to attain some sort of stronger faith, and trusting Him, committng to Him, and delighting yourself in Him.
One is man centered, the other entirely God centered.
Charles Spurgeon's sermon Sunshine in the Heart on what it means to delight in Him:
"The thought of delight in religion is so strange to most men, that no two words in their language stand further apart than "holiness" and "delight." But believers who know Christ, understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them. They who love God with all their hearts, find that his ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace. Such joys, such brimful delights, such overflowing blessednesses, do the saints discover in their Lord, that so far from serving him from custom, they would follow him though all the world cast out his name as evil. "
(You can listen to this sermon right here at sermon audio - and I really suggest that you do that)
Further, from The Treasury of David:
"There is an ascent in this third precept. He who was first bidden not to fret, was then commanded actively to trust, and now is told with holy desire to delight in God. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Make Jehovah the joy and rejoicing of thy spirit. Bad men delight in carnal objects; do not envy them if they are allowed to take their fill in such vain idols; look thou to thy better delight, and fill thyself to the full with thy more sublime portion. In a certain sense imitate the wicked; they delight in their portion—take care to delight in yours, and so far from envying you will pity them. There is no room for fretting if we remember that God is ours, but there is every incentive to sacred enjoyment of the most elevated and ecstatic kind. Every name, attribute, word, or deed of Jehovah, should be delightful to us, and in meditating thereon our soul should be as glad as is the epicure who feeds delicately with a profound relish for his dainties. And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. A pleasant duty is here rewarded with another pleasure. Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God; hence it is safe to give them carte blanche. Their will is subdued to God's will, and now they may have what they will. Our innermost desires are here meant,not our casual wishes; there are many things which nature might desire which grace would never permit us to ask for; these deep, prayerful, asking desires are those to which the promise is made." (Emphasis mine)
I've quoted Spurgeon here only because he said it far better than I ever could. When we delight in the LORD, we're not doing that to GET the carnal desires or frivolous whims we sometimes have, we're doing it because we delight in conforming our will to His will, and desire those things for our lives that please Him.
In summary...
It's very clear that Psalm 37:4 has absolutely nothing to do with "getting" or "having" things. Whether those things be a better job, good health, cars, trips, or any other temporal item. To delight in the LORD we take delight in our position in Christ, as we humbly serve Him and live according to grace.
I hope this has blessed someone and given you a better insight into this topic.
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