“Delight thou in the Lord *
and he shall give thee thy heart’s desire.
Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him *
and he shall bring it to pass.
He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light *
and thy just dealing as the noon-day.”
Psalm 37 (Coverdale, 1662) , Morning Prayer, the Daily Office Book, Year One
Click on next line for a recording of a Cantor chanting in Hebrew:
Davidic Cantillation, Tehilim (Psalm) 37
What is my heart’s desire? That’s a tough question which took many years to answer. I thought they may be things, accomplishments, wealth, control, or a relationship perhaps. It took me until I was in my mid-forties to realize the difference between my desires and my heart’s desire. I came to realize that my heart’s desire could honestly only be one thing. My heart’s desire is God, meaning my heart’s desire is love. Along with being a pump and generator for the body, the heart is a spiritual organ, the mind of the soul, the brain of the soul, if you will. How could the heart then long for anything other than selfless love? How could the heart long for anything but for the soul, your soul and mine, to be closer to the realization of God’s love and compassion? How could my heart truly desire anything other than the knowledge of the ways of compassion and the reason of Spirit?
How do I delight in the Lord? What other way is there but in loving? Love God in the compassionate loving of humanity and creation. Trust in God and love, be willing to be vulnerable, be willing to suffer for love, rather than for vanity or fear. Be willing to give for the righteousness which is God’s righteousness, in caring for the sick, the poor and the outcasts. The more compassion one practices the more one is in position to love and be loved. We can never know love, unless we risk our love for it. Be intentional to choose selfless love every day. Take the chance, “put thy trust in him”.
No comments:
Post a Comment