I’m sure you’ve been making lists, praying about goals, wanting to do better this new year. A time when you feel an opportunity to start fresh. A new day with no mistakes. 365 of them.
I must confess. I don’t follow the instructions of motivational speakers. I don’t write down my goals. Yes, everyone tells me that’s the way to make things happen. The secret to living your deepest longings. To get it done.
{Something inside me just can’t bring myself to write or type them out. Maybe I don’t have a specific list. Maybe it’s so permanent once it’s on paper. Maybe my goals don’t seem big enough.}
Honest? I’d rather sit with a good friend over a chai latte and converse about the stirrings that are deep within my soul. The kind that only start to make sense when I feel like I’m fumbling for the right words, but say it out loud anyway. To whisper a thought that has been noodling around in my mind but sounds crazy even to me. The kind of heart dreams that only God can accomplish.
Lately when talking with other women along my path, I’ve realized that few live the dream God has for them. I don’t feel like I’m completely living in the path and hopes God has for me. That might not be able to happen this side of heaven. But I know I’ve said “Yes!” to many of His plans that were definitely not mine. And I’m so thankful and blessed because of those times of submission.
Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire. (Psalm 37:3-4)
This verse has stayed with me for a week. Yes, I’ve read it, heard it, and seen it on plaques in homes. But when the Holy Spirit is about to teach me something, it lingers.
This truth equation seems like worth pursuing. An easy one at that. Be happy in God and He will give you everything you want.
{Or maybe not.}
Before this verse, King David tells us not to envy others and their success, even those that are evil. Then, he tells us to trust in God and do good. And finally, he gives us a command to find joy and pure delight in our God, to experience great pleasure in His presence.
I think about who I experience great joy in . . . I really know those people. I’ve shared my life with them. I love and adore them. I can tell you memorable stories about our lives together. Some that will make you giggle, while others may bring a tear. And they know me just as well.
I’m also committed to each, whether as a wife, mother, daughter, or friend. I entrust myself to them and know they each care for me deeply. I trust them with my well being, my body, my possessions, and my heart’s desire. I know they each want the best for me.
So why do we think God won’t do the same in an unattainable-by-us, perfect way? He waits for us to make Him the desire of our heart. Then our desires change to His will and He freely gives us the desires of our heart. {which are now His. . . and ours.}
It’s a beautiful exchange that creates close love with the Father, makes us more like Jesus and enables us to finally “live” for the Lord. He will give you the desires of your heart.
Take delight. It’s not an “if you feel like it.” But a command to take joy in our Lord. To find Him at work. Thank Him for all our moments. To be the bright joy in the dark that only comes from The Light.
When we take delight, we gain the very thing that was our goal all along {whether we wrote it down or not}. To draw close to God and truly know Him. We have joy once again. And something wonderful happens. . .
King David tells us:
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and He will help you . . . Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. (Psalm 37:5-7)
Then God will act. He will achieve His goals that are now ours. Your heart’s desire is filled . . . with Him.
I love how Francis Chan encourages us:
I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn’t come through, I am screwed.
In this New Year, what is your heart’s desire that can only be accomplished if you, “Take delight . . . and commit everything you do to the Lord?” Won’t you share it with us?
by Stephanie Bryant
Stephanie Bryant
Stephanie,
I loved this post…it made me think twice about whether or not, in everything I do, do I delight in the Lord? Do I seek Him before anything else. God does not say, “Do things for the Lord,” no, He’s very specific that our first goal is a relationship goal…”delight” is a result of deliberately being in His presence. My resolution for 2017 is that I want to be on fire for the Lord. I want to be a flame that burns in such a way that my life points others to the source of my flame. But first, in order to burn, I must abide and delight in Him.
Blessings,
Bev
I do pray that your desire will become reality.
Thank you!! xx
Thanks for summarizing it this way, Bev.
It really helped me, as an over-achiever/recovering perfectionist to get back to the importance of presence first and then goals and desires are made clear.
Blessings!
Alison,
Welcome to “Over-Achievers Anonymous”!! I think a lot of us are recovering perfectionists. I always have to guard against slipping back into old “comfortable” ways. I try to remind myself that when I’m “achieving and striving”…I’m making it all about me. When I’m “abiding and delighting”, I’m making it all about HIM!
We’ll keep at this together…
Blessings,
Bev xx
This recovering overachiever/perfectionist so needed this today Bev-that reminder to maintain focus on Him who establishes our plans, orders our steps. It can be so hard to discern some days His will for each day, yet He reminds that He loves us even when we get it wrong :p Thank you for the wisdom that Our Lord works out of your struggles 🙂 Hugs!
((HUGS)) right back 🙂
Thank you so much! This was what I needed to hear today. I answered God’s calling and have started college at the age of 59. I am going to be a Christian Counselor. However, I am still working full time. I can’t wait for God to reveal the next step in my journey.
Living for him,
Karen
Beautifully said Bev ❤
It is my desire to draw nigh unto God. I seek his guidance on love and his provision for my studies.
Thank you so much for this post. My desire this new year is to have a heart for the Lord and to have a heart and mind like His. I also pray for His provision and blessings over my homeschool. New Years blessings!
Cassandra and Bev oven with you in prayer.
I am with you in prayer!!
Thanks
Hmmm . . . maybe you’ve explained to me why I don’t write my goals down, either.
May God give us grace to live desperate before Him in 2017.
Stephanie, I too am not a writer of goals, etc – and, my reason is: when I look back mid-year if I haven’t achieved the feeling of failure washes over me and …. well you know the rest. My main “goal” is “DO THE NEXT THING” and Father God always makes sure I have a next thing!!!! Even if it’s sitting at His feet and being still. xo Great post for pondering.
Living in such a way that my life and choices only make sense thrive the lens of faith has been a theme for me, and certainly a goal for next year and beyond. Thank you for helping to put words to this, and for the truth that by taking delight in God, we gain everything we could ever want- He is so much more valuable than anything else we might strive after!
My heart’s desire is to become my boyfriend’s wife. I know my boyfriend is not a beliver in both God and marriage. Yet he lives in the spirit of truth. If my heart’s desire is not God’s will, then I pray I will discover His will and have the courage to submit to it on 2017. I ask this though Jesus Christ our Lord from whom all good things come. Amen.
I am not a morning person. Totally, completely NOT a morning person. I get up at the last minute and get ready for work and start my day without doing devotions and with barely a prayer except for a quick one I might say in the shower. I rationalize that I will have more time in the evening to do it, but most often my evenings are filled with other things and I barely get a chance to sit down and actually be still with God. I am lucky if I can fly through a couple chapters before bed. I know this needs to change. I know that the early morning hours would provide a quiet, meaningful time with God. I would like to start this in 2017 but I am honestly dreading waking up earlier. And I’m afraid I may fall asleep during my devotions! No matter what time I go to bed at night, I still feel exhausted in the morning. I would love it if you could pray for me to be able to accomplish this. Thanks and Happy New Year!
To be honest, I haven’t given much thought to setting goals for the new year. I feel like the idea has become a bit cliche, giving people this false hope that if they set some goal they will feel better about where they are at in life. I know that may sound super harsh but please know that is not my intention. It is just the way I feel. On the other hand, when I think about setting goals I feel very intimidated. I have a high chance of not achieving them so why set myself up for failure? And if I scale it back to set only small goals will I really be achieving anything worth noting? Wow, even as I write this I am suprising myself at how I feel; that is why I appreciate what you wrote.
I think you summed it up perfectly when you said, “Take delight. It’s not an “if you feel like it.” But a command to take joy in our Lord. To find Him at work. Thank Him for all our moments. To be the bright joy in the dark that only comes from The Light.” I love the part about thanking Him for all the monents. ALL the moments. I know that is what God had me practice most often in 2016 and it was there that I saw Him, learned more about who He is and how I can share His love with others. I also learned that God doesn’t intend to make His will some great mystery that He challenges us to find but rather something that is so blatantly clear we may miss it if we look too hard. It is often right in front of our face.
I suppose my goal might be to carry on with where He had me in 2016, giving thanks for all He’s done each day, counting my 1,000 gifts and sharing them with others in hopes that the Holy Spirit will use them to draw more unto Himself.
Thanks ! I found this very encouraging. I had always had been confused about trying get my goals come into reality but i just couldn’t and not to mention there had been circumstances that i just had to put on hold. I hope that I can still pursue my dreams.
Stephanie,
My goal for 2017 is to be a much better wife. I want to be able to shower my husband with God’s love even in the midst of trials. Would love for my husband to find a good fitting job for his personality. He is good at his job now, but it is super stressful working solo and having way too much to do. (He is CT Tech at a hospital – weekends). Praying he can find a good job at an outpatient center. Would love to be more Christ like in my attitudes and actions.
Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve! 🙂
Thank you for this beautiful post and the helpful comments.
Many years ago I heard a neighbor tell a ladies’ Bible study that she never made a new resolution to start the new year, she had used the same one for a number of years and it had always worked and she had never had cause to feel a failure for not following something through.
Her resolution was “whenever anyone does something that encourages me or blesses me I will tell them and thank them.”
I took her resolution as my own and have never been sorry. I am still learning to be thankful every day “IN” everything, because my LORD is there in it with me.
“Just do the next thing” was my favorite of Elisabeth Elliot’s sayings and it is my response to any problem God allows to come my way.
I like this. Thanks for sharing Molly.
We are supposed to delight in Him and He already delights in us. What I don’t think any of us realize that the desires of His heart become the desires of our heart because they will be His perfect will, I think we’re still following what we believe to be our own desires sometimes, and that is just scratching the surface of His loves because His ways are perfect, His thoughts higher.
Finishing my part-time studies, leading a large church project all the while living with MS and it’s sometimes crippling fatigue. No matter which way I look at it, God led me hear. He will have to give me the strength to live this year.
Angela
Please email me I hve some good news for MS
elveraneudorf@gmail.com
Elvera Neudorf
You truly shared what my Hearts desire is , and is to experience in awesome way as He is awesome we cannot fathom
And to live a Spirit filled life that others who are with will want to know my Jesus n my own family William hve a deeper desire to know God n follow Him
That would hve a good relationship my own siblings
To love
Oops not William but should read will hve
Thank you for sharing Stephanie! Happy New Year! ❤❤
Praying for a new home … and it’s definitely a dream that’s FAR BIGGER than I could accomplish on my own! This has to be a “God-thing” for it to happen!
I am writing my first novel. I find that if I pray before writing, asking God to give me the words He wants me to share, that my writing goes much smoother. I am calmer and comforted by knowing that He is in charge of my words.