The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of February 3
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
-- Psalm 37:4
Did you ever bargain with God as a kid? Maybe you promised you would “be good,” if only God would grant you an “A” on your geometry test. Or perhaps you vowed to be kind to your younger sibling or to obey your parents, if only God would reward you with the toy you were yearning for or the spot you coveted on the baseball team.
Even as adults, we can find ourselves reverting to the bargaining strategies of our youth. If you’ve ever faced a frightening diagnosis or loved someone who is gravely ill, you may have been tempted to make promises to God in exchange for a positive health report or a miraculous cure.
At first glance, this verse from Psalm 37 might seem like a similar “if…then” transaction: “If I delight in the Lord…then He will give me what I want.” In some ways, this kind of exchange is appealing because it’s easy and straightforward: “I do this, then God will do that. The end.”
But this is not how God operates. God isn’t interested in a simple exchange of “this for that” because, more than anything, God desires authentic relationship and connection with us. Our God is a relational rather than a transactional God, and He wants to be in relationship with us – His beloved sons and daughters – too much to settle for a transactional exchange.
When we delight in God for who He is, rather than for what He might give us, we will indeed receive the deepest desires of our heart. We will know above all that we are loved by a God who wants to be with us today and always.
Gracious God, I admit, sometimes I am tempted to bargain with You, especially when I find myself facing desperate circumstances. Thank You for reminding me that You want more than an exchange of “this for that” with me. Thank You for being with me through every experience of my life. Amen.