You Control Where You Seek Your Happiness: Delight in the LORD

Controlling what You Can
in this Uncontrollable World

Part 6

You Control Where You Seek Happiness: Delight in the LORD

The world around you may be out of your control, but you can still thrive when you choose to control what you can. You, and you alone, control yourself. As we continue to follow David’s instruction in Psalm 37, remember…

Only you can control:
Your Foundation: the LORD is in Control
Your Focus: Fret not. Trust in the LORD
Your Actions: Do Good
Your Mindset: Dwell in the Land
Your Thoughts: Feed on the LORD’s Faithfulness

You also control where you seek your happiness. 

:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

“Delight yourself in the LORD,” according to Barnes commentary, literally means to seek your happiness in the LORD. You, and you alone, choose where you seek your happiness.

If I set my happiness in the circumstances of a day, I’m in for a roller coaster ride. If I seek my happiness in another human being, I’m doomed. We all have terrible, awful, no good, very bad days, and humans are unpredictable. If I seek my happiness in any of these fluctuating elements, my happiness will be yanked around like a yo-yo. But if I can make myself choose to seek my deepest happiness in the LORD, the One who never changes, the deepest part of my heart will be full of the most settled happiness a person can know; the kind of happiness that keeps you singing in a prison cell and continuing in excellence when hauled away as a captive. People and circumstances can ruin your day, but you control if they ruin your happiness.

This is NOT to say that you can’t be sad or disappointed. These emotions are natural and I am not suggesting that you paint a fake smile on your face. This isn’t about pretending to be happy or trying to project an “I’m always happy” image. Don’t. Be. Fake!!! David is referring to a deep and settled happiness, so that even when you cry, which he did a lot, your deepest happiness is not shaken. Even when you’re  disappointed and hurting, you can step past the painful situation and stand in the deep, spiritual happiness of knowing your God—His presence, His strength, His wisdom, and His love. And this is where the rest of this verse comes into focus: “He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Now, I’ve always been a little skeptical about this part of the verse- “He will give you the desires of your heart.” Cuz, I gotta say that I kinda read this whole verse wrong. I thought that if I behaved in such a way that I was a delight TO the LORD, it was kind of like rubbing the magic lamp and viola — the desires of my heart were granted (as I rolled out my list of desires). But as I’ve studied it, I’ve realized, not only is David telling me to seek my happiness in the LORD, but the desires of the heart he mentions are the same basic desires of every human being. It’s not referring to my kid-like scribbled Christmas list of wishes. Every human heart is wired for basic desires: every heart wants to be safe—physically and emotionally; every heart wants to be loved; every heart wants peace; every heart wants purpose. When I choose to seek my happiness in the unchanging person of the LORD God, He fills my heart with these incredible heart desires that can’t be scratched or snatched by any situation or person. God’s not asking you to turn in your wishlist. He’s promising to fill your heart with your heart’s deepest desires. And He can do it because He never changes and He holds the only version of complete safety, love, peace, and purpose that exists!

Circumstances should never have power over your deepest happiness, but only you can decide that. Remember, David was running from Saul when he wrote this – exile was NOT a delight. Running did not generate happiness. David chose to seek his happiness in the LORD while being chased by Saul. It’s all about perspective and personal responsibility for where you seek your happiness.

When I choose to seek my happiness in the Lord, these truths about God keep my perspective right even in bad circumstances:
God is always with me
God is my strength
God holds my life in His hands
God holds my hand
God loves me unconditionally
God is working His perfect purpose in my life

When I turn my attention to the delights I have in the LORD and seek my happiness in Him, the deepest desires of my heart will be met.

This week focus on seeking your happiness in the LORD:
Whatever today brings: joy or sorrow, pain or bliss, seek your deepest happiness in the LORD.

You can thrive in any circumstance when you control where you seek your happiness. When you do, no matter what happens around you, you will experience the deep safety, love, peace, and purpose that only the LORD can give!