Love What God Commands. Desire What God Promises.

Do you ever read something in the Bible and think, “Wow, that sounds a little over the top!”

I am simply not capable of the emotional range of some of the more expressive prophets and psalmists, but, even more than that, I lack their depth of love and fervor of desire for God and his word.

Tell me, are these words from the psalms your honest response to Scripture?

In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
    I will not forget your word (Psalm 119:14-16).

When we encounter dissonance between what Scripture expresses and what we actually experience, our first response might be dismissive. “Oh, this was written by a varsity-level believer, and, after all, they didn’t even have other books to read. I can’t possibly feel that way about God and his word.”

What if we changed our perspective and received these proclamations of delight and high value as prescriptive? I might not feel a strong desire for the words of our sacred text on this particular Sunday morning, but I want to. And according to Psalm 119, I should!

For this very reason, a traditional prayer has caught my attention and seems to be requiring that I assess my emotional response to the things God clearly values:

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and afffections of sinners. Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise, that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found…”¹

Love What God Commands

A command to love goes against the grain of our North American independent streak. But if the command to love something comes from the Person who designed us, who “knows our frame” and has our best interest at heart, how can it be wrong?

When we read words in Scripture expressing what seems like over-the-top affection for the Law of God or deep devotion to God himself, and we just cannot identify, repentance might be our right response. It’s tempting to roll our eyes and think, “I don’t feel this way.”
The path of wisdom concludes: “Maybe I should feel this way. Lord, help me!”

Desire What God Promises

God promises his peace, his presence, comfort in trials, strength, and forgiveness. If what you desire most in life is success and financial rewards, a particular relationship, or a life mapped out according to your own specifications, the promises of God will fall flat in your estimation. If you think you can acquire your greatest treasure in this life, your heart won’t long for the intangible treasures God promises.

Are you willing to allow your wants to be shaped around the blessings God has promised to give you?
Will you receive what God gives and relinquish what God takes?
Will you willingly lack what he withholds?

May God work in our hearts so that we chase true joy in the only place where it can be found.

Holding You in the Light,

If you think you can acquire your greatest treasure in this life, your heart won’t long for the intangible treasures God promises.

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1. Book of Common Prayer, Contemporary Collects, Fifth Sunday in Lent ↩︎

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