www.bible.com/1713/psa.37.4.csb
As a father, I try to follow my children’s interests as best I can. My oldest is into Warhammer 40K. My oldest daughter is a Dungeons and Dragons DM for a small group at her high school. My younger daughter loves fantasy and dragons. My youngest is harder to pin down, as he is still finding his thing, but he loves watching videos and playing video games with his friends.
So when birthdays and Christmas come around, I have a notion of what they might be interested in. Of course I give them a gift card because I just can’t do the “wow” gifts anymore, the complete surprises that make them wonder if I can read their minds. I know my kids have dreams of what they want to be and what kind of person they will become. But sometimes I wish I could read their minds, just a little bit.
“Fathers, if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven?” God knows far more than I do. He knows my heart better than I do, and His gifts are never too late. He always knows what I need when I need it. He knows my frustration. He knows my joys. He knows me.
I should add that the delights of your heart ought to be what delights Him. I would ask yourself, is what I want really something that honors God too? Of what you truly want is something God has expressly forbidden, or worse could cause someone else harm, is that really something you think God is going to give to you?
People are always saying to me when I ask of there is anything I can give them, “Yeah, get me a bucket of money,” or “a million dollars!” They intend is a joke, but it reveals a piece of their heart. All my problems could be resolved if I just had enough money. Yet, if you cannot he content with what you have, what would more money do for you? There is never enough money. Just ask someone who has a lot of it. Solomon was the wealthiest man in the Bible. It wasn’t enough. Just read Ecclesiastes.
God wants to give you what your heart desires, but only when you are ready, and only if He desires it for you. You can’t just take this verse out of the context of the Bible and make it what you want. It has to agree with everything He has written, such as, “I have learned to be content in all circumstances.”
Heavenly Father, I know that my desires are stained with sin and selfishness. I want things that I ought not to have. As a good Father, you have seen my good impulses and rewarded them. You encourage me in doing good and loving others. You have shown me in being a father that it is hard to give your children what they want, to withhold from them when the time isn’t right, and to see them grow and mature, sometimes the hard way. I can’t imagine the grief you feel when we want and grasp for things that will harm us. Help me Lord to be a better father. Help me be a better husband. And help me Lord know what are the good things. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Meritt Musings 