Seven Cures For A Troubled Heart - Part 2

THE CURE FOR A TROUBLED HEART - PSALM 37 - PART 2

Last week we talked about three cures for a troubled heart from Psalm 37.

We talked about:

• 1) The principle of not fretting/ worrying

Psalms 37:1 (NKJV) A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

• 2) The principle of trusting

Psalms 37:3 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

• 3) The principle of dwelling – abiding and resting in the Lord (from v.3 also)

4. The Principle Of Delighting - V.4

Psalms 37:4 (NLT) Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5

It’s easy to be delighted when everything happens to be going your way.

I remember one day when I went out golfing with some of my friends. Everything was going my way. I seemed to have “the touch.”

Talk about being delighted.

I acted as if I shoot that way all the time.

But then there are those other times that you can’t get the ball to do anything. The wind is against you. Your muscles are tight and everything just goes the other way.

King David had been looking at the circumstances around him, and “delight” wasn’t exactly written on his mind.

Careless, power-hungry people were going across the land like a wrecking ball. Good decent people were being trampled.

Greedy, unprincipled men and women were clawing their way into positions of power and influence.

I’m sure that David was worried. I’m sure that in his heart he didn’t feel the emotions of “delight.”

These are precisely the kinds of days about which David says, “Delight yourself in the Lord” – when things aren’t going your way.

Let’s look at the original meaning of this word. Delight is a soft word. A feminine word. It likes the luxury and attention of others.

It is the picture of a new bride who has deliberately chosen to seek her happiness in her husband. She yields to him and finds delight.

Another way understanding this word is: “To delight means to step away from your own strength and find strength in another.

David knew that this is what we need to do with God – “delight in the Lord.” We can always count on His presence.

He loves for us to step out of our puny strength and into His mighty strength..

Keep in mind that David was as tough as they come – Remember Goliath? But he had no problem stepping back from his own strength and taking refuge in God.

Psalms 21:1-2 (NLT) How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him victory. (2) For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude 3

Psalms 37:4 (NLT) Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Delight means not to be strong for yourself. Let Him be strong for you. Pour out your energies into delighting in Him and let Him work things out.

Don’t try to work everything out yourselves.

I’m a doer. I’m a Martha. I want to roll up my sleeves and make things happen.

But there are certain things that I can’t do. It frustrates me when situations are out of my control and I CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

That is when I need to “delight in the Lord.”

There are certain things I can do and should do about my circumstances – but there are times in life when we need to just step back and say, “Lord, this is too hard, and too heavy, and there’s nothing else I can do. I’m gong to direct my energies and emotions into delighting in You and let you work on my behalf.

That is what God wants you to do.

GOD LOVES US SO MUCH THAT EVERY ONCE IS A WHILE, HE ARRANGES CIRCUSTANCES THAT ARE SIMPLY TOO BIG FOR US TO HANDLE AND TOO HEAVY FOR US TO CARRY.

His desire is not that these things should crush us, but that we would learn to find our help and delight in Him.

God is a giving God. He wants to hive us the desire of our hearts. BUT THE ONLY WAY HE CAN GIVE THEM TO US IS WHEN WE COME WITH A HUMBLE ATTITUDE OF DEPENDENCE ON HIM.

How many become impatient and insist on taking matters into your own hands.

We don’t get what we want and end up compromising to help God along.

Many determined people ruin their lives in the process of getting ahead of God.

They gain what they thought they wanted so badly… but there is no “delight.” There is only emptiness and regret.