Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For six years, Agnes tried to make herself the “perfect minister’s wife,” modeling herself after her adored mother-in-law (also a pastor’s wife). She thought that in this role she couldn’t also be a writer and painter, but in burying her creativity she became depressed and contemplated suicide. Only the help of a neighboring pastor moved her out of the darkness as he prayed with her and assigned her two hours of writing each morning. This awakened her to what she called her “sealed orders”—the calling God had given her. She wrote, “For me to be really myself—my complete self—every . . . flow of creativity that God had given me had to find its channel.”
Later, she pointed to one of David’s songs that expressed how she found her calling: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As she committed her way to God, trusting Him to lead and guide her (v. 5), He made a way for her not only to write and paint but to help others to better communicate with Him.
God has a set of “sealed orders” for each of us, not only that we’ll know we’re His beloved children but understand the unique ways we can serve Him through our gifts and passions. He’ll lead us as we trust and delight in Him.
Read: Psalm 37:3-7 (NIV)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the landz and enjoy safe pasture.a
4 Take delightb in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.c
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in himd and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous rewarde shine like the dawn,f
your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be stillg before the Lord
and wait patientlyh for him;
do not freti when people succeed in their ways,j
when they carry out their wicked schemes.k
INSIGHT
- How does Agnes’ story of living someone else’s life resonate with you?
- What has God put in your “sealed orders”?
When David urged his nation not to envy those who seemed to be winning by deceit or violence (Psalm 37:1, 7), he was writing out of his own experience. He knew what it was to be stalked by Saul, his own king and father-in-law. His psalm reflects what he’d seen in God, who helped him overcome Goliath, the betrayals of friends and family, and the military advantage of enemies. Learning to trust an unseen God at a time when visible people hated him was his recurring challenge. Reflecting on a hard road traveled, Psalm 37 foreshadows what the apostle Paul would one day express. In the service of Christ, he too learned to see beyond the temporary, outward appearance (2 Corinthians 4:16–18).
PRAYER
Creator God, You’ve made me in Your image. Help me to know and embrace my calling that I might better love and serve You. In Jesus name, I pray and believe. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 37:3-7 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 45-46; 1 Thessalonians 3
