My part of the country is currently experiencing a severe drought. Water use is being restricted in surrounding communities, Independence Day firework displays are being cancelled, and brushfires are appearing left and right. We’re not necessarily in a state of panic yet since our life doesn’t depend on the success of our garden and drinking water is still easily accessible, but a 107° day with an even hotter forecast still ahead is enough to catch anybody’s attention.

Fortunately, the local media and governments are doing their part to make sure everybody understands their responsibilities during the drought. No unnecessary water usage, no bonfires and, as long as the excessive heat wave persists, no avoidable outdoor activity. Rain has basically been a stranger to our area for several weeks now and shows no signs of returning any time soon.

A drought of this size and intensity can hardly go unnoticed, especially when farmers play a significant role in your state’s economy. Is it possible, though, that we find it easier to worry about these natural inconveniences than our own spiritual health? How come rainfall totals can headline every newscast for a week straight, while the average person goes about their everyday life seemingly indifferent to their spiritual depravity and need for living water (John 4:10)? It’s not because either of the two are more apparent than the other; our nation has simply contented itself with ungodliness for so long that we’ve stopped seeing the need for it.

“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

-Psalm 42:2

However much our country’s need for God may be underestimated, we cannot afford to overlook the need for more of Him in our lives. He’s the only one capable of providing our spiritual needs and refreshing the dry and thirsty ground we’ve become so used to walking on. Just as the leaves of an old oak tree stretch toward the sky when in desperate need of rain, the solution to our barrenness can only be found by looking up.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of
thine heart.”

-Psalm 37:4

If you’re a Christian, then just reading the above passage of Scripture likely caused you to stop for a moment and reflect on the goodness of God. To think that an all-knowing, all-holy God would extend to us anything but His wrath – let alone His love – should be enough to fill anybody with gratitude, and yet we find countless promises just like this one throughout the pages of God’s Word. Like the Israelites who were allowed to inherit “a land for which [they] did not labour and cities which [they] built not”, we have been made “partakers of the Lord’s table”, not by our own merit, but solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Josh. 24:13; 1 Cor.10:21).

And although this particular promise is as beautiful and as valid as any, it can be easily misunderstood if we’re not careful to consider its context. Receiving all the desires of our heart is surely a thought worth getting excited about, but only when our priorities are first in the right place. Can you imagine the mess we would so quickly make of our lives if we got everything we wanted, no exceptions? You see, God isn’t offering us the satisfaction of every selfish desire, but the quenching of every Godly thirst (Matthew 5:6). If you make Him the center of your life and the focus of every ambition [i.e. your “delight”], then the desires of your heart will also be Godly in nature.

The fact is, there is a direct relationship between the delight of our heart and the desires of our heart. This means that if you’re not quite sure what the delight of your heart is, the desires which consume it on a daily basis are likely a good indicator of your spiritual condition. A person who delights in money desires more wealth; someone who delights in acceptance desires friendship; and those who delight in God desire “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.” (Philippians 4:8)

“I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

-Psalm 81:10

The obvious advantage to the Christian is that, unlike those who look for lasting happiness in temporal things, the desire of our heart is sure be granted so long as we put Christ in His rightful place by making Him our soul’s delight. How often do you think those who delight in earthly things find complete satisfaction? According to Ecclesiastes 5:10, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.” Those who have fixed their eyes on the eternal and desire God with all their hearts are the only ones who won’t be disappointed.

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”

               -Ephesians 4:1

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

               -1 Timothy 1:15

“And [Jesus] said unto His disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.”

              -Luke 12:22-23

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all expressed opinions are my own.

The following is the speech I delivered on 5/19/12 at my homeschool graduation ceremony:  

“Thank you everybody for coming. I’ve been extremely encouraged over the past several weeks as so many of you have offered your prayers and words of encouragement as I enter this new and exciting chapter of my life.

I remember starting school 13 years ago and thinking of this day as if it was an eternity away. Things like driving a car, having a job, and standing here today receiving my high school diploma were all things I looked forward to, but I could hardly imagine what life would be like without my daily studies and summer vacation. Life has changed drastically for me over the past twelve months, and I realize this trend will only continue over the next several years. Yet unlike many graduates, I don’t fear what lies ahead; instead, I am excited to learn what blessings God has in store for me as an adult and trust His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 applies to me: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.”

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul wrote “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As I’ve prepared for this day and new season of my life, this is one verse God has reminded me of time and time again. I understand that many of the things I’ve become accustomed to throughout my school years will no longer apply to me as an adult, such as the privilege of having an answer book to explain everything I don’t understand. Life will no doubt present me with many challenging situations throughout my future, but I resolve today to trust God in those times to fulfill His promise in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Of course the accomplishment of my graduation would not even be a reality without the patience and determination of my mother over these past 13 years. She has taught me everything from learning how to read to learning how to tie my shoelace, and she deserves all of the credit for making this day a reality. I can’t begin to describe how much I appreciate her faithfulness to me and to the calling God has placed on her life to homeschool me and my sister.

I would also like to thank my sister, Bethany, for being a great sister and classmate; my aunt Shelley for coordinating so many great homeschool events with our local homeschool group; the Homeschool Foundation; and our state government for acknowledging the right of parents to educate their children at home.

Again, you’ll never know what your prayers have meant to me over these past several months and what it means to me to know I can count on your prayers in my future. I pray and trust that the days ahead will be as blessed as days gone by, and I thank God for the assurance that He will be with me every step of the way.”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

               -Romans 8:28

More than six months of car shopping culminated yesterday afternoon with the purchase of my first car….Well, my second first car that is. Back in January I had a not-so-pleasant experience with a ‘99 Ford Taurus that I owned for a grand total of three full days, discovering after less than 100 miles that it had a bad transmission that would ultimately cost more to fix than the car was worth.

Of course just like any other guy my age, owning my first car has always been a dream of mine and one I was excited to see become a reality. And even though the bank preapproved me for a sizable loan without requiring a cosigner, no amount of prayer could give me peace about starting off my adult life in debt. (Thankfully I have a great mom who let me drive her car to my part time job while I saved up enough to pay cash.)  So I worked and saved for six months, and then all of my prayers led me to believe I was supposed to buy the car that I had to return less than a week later. I was confused, angry and very discouraged.

Some would say I misunderstood God’s leading. After all, where does a bad transmission fit into Jeremiah 29:11? Even after grappling with this question for the past 2+ months I’m not sure I can give the perfect answer to that question, although I do think God had a purpose in all of what took place. Didn’t God say that the trial of our faith worketh patience (James 1:3)? Without trying to sound sarcastic, I certainly think patience is more important than a seamless transition into my first car.

Maybe you’ve never had a car go bad three days after buying it, but I’m confident a large majority of my readers have faced their share of situations they didn’t understand. Even after “praying it through”, know that you still won’t understand all of the unexpected curveballs that come your way in life. But even when nothing is falling into place the way you think it should, trust that God has a purpose much higher, wiser, and greater than you thought He did (Isaiah 55:9). He usually does.