Answers to your questions about life, religion and the Bible
The desires of your heart
Dear Father Paul: I am a 36 year-old single woman who for some months now has been taking a long, hard look at my life. Truth is I am sad, lonely and very disappointed that the hopes and dreams I had as a girl have not happened. I very much wanted marriage, motherhood and a fulfilling career. The clock is ticking, and so far none of these have happened. I am what you’d probably call a “nominal Christian,” going to church five or six times a year. I live in Arkansas and read your columns on the Citizen website. Any advice you have for me will be appreciated and taken to heart. Thank you. — Angie.
Dear Angie: Thank you for your question. There are tens of thousands, probably millions, of people today who are in the same situation as you. I met a lady recently, a lot like you. She told me she cries herself to sleep almost every night. She is a little older than you with fewer years left for her desires and dreams to come true. But let me encourage you, as I encouraged her, that there is still time, if you will both follow exactly the advice I shared with her and am about to share with you and my readers.
It’s a nearly fool-proof strategy for success, fulfillment and happiness in life that, now over 3,000 years old, has stood the test of time. And yet it is so simple that it is often rejected by the “smart” people. “It can’t be that easy,” they say.
It is based on one tiny and obscure verse in God’s Word to mankind … the Bible. You knew I was going there didn’t you? But seriously, the Bible is God’s “operation manual,” written to guide each of us, whom he himself has created, through life. Think of it like this. Who better knows, the innermost workings … and how to “fix’ anything that can possibly go wrong in a hundred-story skyscraper than the architect who planned, designed and built the whole building down to the last detail? Nobody, that’s who. Everything is in the architect’s mind and blueprints! And when we begin to see God as the supreme architect and builder of the universe and all that is in it (including us) it becomes a simple matter of faith for us to then go to his “operation manual,” his “blueprint” … the Bible, for the answers to all of our problems and concerns. This is called by some, “a Biblical World View,” and it has worked for me for 72 years now. That’s why I can, without apology or reservation, recommend the Bible to any and all persons, no matter their problems or issues. For all too many of us though, the Bible (the answer) sits there on our bookshelf, gathering dust.
The little Bible verse I mentioned is found in Psalm 37:4. It was written by King David. It says (New Living Translation) “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Wow! That’s a simple, and profound (but conditional) promise directly from God himself to every man, woman, boy and girl on planet earth. You want to have your heart’s desires? Then “delight” in the Lord. Yes, it really is that simple. Please note: I am definitely not talking about winning the lottery, a new Corvette or inheriting $10 million, but rather the things your heart desires for the “right,” unselfish, godly reasons.
The Hebrew word in the original Psalm 37:4 text which the Bible translators have translated into English, as “delight,” is the word Anag … pronounced “aw-nag.” It literally means to become soft and pliable in the hands of God. Basically, God is promising that when we come to the place where we know, love, serve and obey him (with soft and pliable hearts) … and we find all of our peace and fulfillment in him, then he will pour out his blessings upon us … including giving us the desires of our hearts. This is in direct contrast to the way the world works, but it is indeed the way the Kingdom of God works.
So I would simply urge you, Angie, and everyone else, beginning today, to simply start “delighting in the Lord,” then get ready for what he will do.
Do you have a question? Send your question to me at paulmassey@earthlink.net and I will try to answer your question in the paper.
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[Father Paul Massey is pastor emeritus of Church of the Holy Cross in Fayetteville, Georgia. Visit www.holycrosschurch.wordpress.com for more information, service times, directions and recorded Sunday messages.]
