Read today’s texts first: 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 20; Psalms 20; Matthew 22
MAXIMize YOUR DAY
When God promised to give us the desires of our hearts He was promising to give us His desires!
Today is my son’s birthday and I’m actually home to enjoy it. From 1987 until 2013, I would miss his birthday (and Mother’s Day - sorry Jan!) while on the road with PLBC tour teams. Those two things were on my mind as I read the Bible today. When I read, May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed (Psa. 20:4), I thought of Greg, building his own business, and making a lot of important life decisions. And I thought of life on the road, and how it illustrates real life.
Life, like college tours, is a journey. The destinations along the way may be exciting (we would often visit Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Niagara Falls, New York - oh, and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota!). But because our ultimate destination is Heaven, life on this planet is more about the journey and making sure we keep our final goal in mind. That should affect every decision, the plans we make, and the desires behind those plans.
When David wrote this Psalm, I’m sure he was thinking of the daily decisions he had to make as King of Israel. We see from our other readings today that he was busy fighting battles and keeping his people safe from enemy oppression. He tells us why he was successful: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (20:7). His army was often out-numbered, surrounded by multiple nations conspiring against him, but God, time after time, would miraculously intervene.
I believe the secret for God’s blessing is found in this psalm. When David asked God to give him the desires of his heart, he was not talking about blessing his own human desires - he was asking God to give him His desires (note the capital “H”). David was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). He was known for consulting God before every decision, at every turn in the road, before proceeding any further in his life’s journey.
“Lord, You said that I am to love You with all my heart, soul, and mind (Mat. 22:38,39). I pray for myself and for my son on his birthday, that You would give us Your desires for every decision we make on the road ahead!”
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