Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

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You have probably heard this verse before, but you may not have taken time to go through the whole Psalm.  There is a rich wealth of wisdom from this one passage that you may miss if you just stick to this one verse.  Let’s look at the rest of this chapter.

We are immediately reminded that those who do evil will not last.  You can look at the news to see how many corporations tried to get away with things and got caught.  We live by a higher level integrity.  We trust in God and have our delight in Him not in money.

In verse 5, we are told to commit our ways to the Lord.  That word in the original language means to ‘roll away.’  Think about that for a moment. We are to roll away our problems, our business and our worries to God.  Let Him take care of the things we cannot because ultimately it is His business.

In verse 7 we are reminded to be still before God and wait on Him.  We are to entrust ourselves totally to Him so that He can guide us.  We are not to worry about others who succeed.  We should not get angry about the success of others because we know that if people truly succeed it is because God allows it.

In verse 11 we are told to be meek.  The original word was more akin to being bowed down.  We are told when we bow down before God and submit to Him we will enjoy peace and prosperity.

Don’t get distracted by the word prosperity.  We are to put forth the effort that God tells us.  We must take action and be obedient to God.  When He says move, we should move.  You can read verse 14-15 to see what God does to those who rely on wicked schemes instead of solid biblical principles for their business.

In verse16 we are reminded to be happy with what we have.  We may not be ready for millions, but when we are, God will uphold us in His righteousness.  Our inheritance will endure forever.  Even when times get tough those who trust in God will enjoy plenty.

In verse 21, we are told to be generous and always pay our debts.  God will guide out steps when we stay on path with Him.  Though we stumble, we will not fall because God’s hand upholds us.

David continues the next section with His observations about how much God blessed those who trust in Him.  I verse 34 he sums it up, “Hope in the Lord and keep His way.  He will exalt you.”

All success comes from God.  He will bless us when we fully trust in Him.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4