Desire
Psalm 37
"Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4).
Desire is the mainspring of our hearts, the driving force of our lives, hidden from others, but always lingering just under the surface of our thoughts. We can’t put the feeling into words; it’s beyond us. C.S. Lewis called it sehnsucht—a bitter-sweet longing for something just out of reach.
Fame and fortune don’t assuage it; they only beget more desire. The more we get the more we want. Like a child opening a dozen Christmas gifts, we keep looking for that elusive "something more." Whatever the object of our quest, when we find it, it never contains the joy we sought.
Disappointment, thus, is the rule, not the exception in this life. No thing, not even a very good thing, can fully satisfy us. That's why there's always a tinge of sadness in our greatest pleasures.
On the other hand, the Psalmist writes, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires (the "askings") of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). This the secret of satisfaction and joy: Knowing that everything we ever wanted or desired is found in God’s love. There's no other way to be really, truly happy. Period!
Whom have I, Lord, but Thee,
Soul-thirst to satisfy?
Exhaustless spring! The waters free!
All other streams are dry. —Mary Bowley Peters
David Roper
