It Was 1991

It was 1991.  I was driving across the mountain to work.  Tears streaming down my face. Questioning where I was headed…not at that moment…but where my life was headed. Suddenly, I heard the following words coming from the cassette player (remember those) in my car…

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.   Psalm 37:3-5 NKJ

And then Sandi Patti began to sing…

When my plans have fallen through
And when my strength is nearly gone
When there’s nothing left to do but just depend on You
And the power of Your name

And as we call upon Your name
Your strength through weakness to show
We can know the masters plan extend the masters hand
When we come in the name of the Lord

There is strength in the name of the Lord
There is power in the name of the Lord
There is hope in the name of the Lord
Blessed is He, who comes in the name of the Lord**

Still driving, I reached for the Bible lying in the back seat and flipped it onto the front passenger seat and it opened to Psalm 37.

That morning, that moment, was when the words from Psalm 37 became my life’s verses.

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 desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. NLT

It is so easy to attempt to justify our bad decisions and our foolish actions as we look for happiness. Well meaning people will tell us to “follow our hearts” as we seek advice in making life changing decisions. We put our faith in people…in positions…in unrealized dreams, as we attempt to fill an emptiness in our souls. We think if we want it bad enough and do the “right” things, God will come through and we will live happily ever after.

It’s only when we realize that our faith…our trust must be in God and God alone. The most important relationship we’ll ever have is with HIM.  Our safety lies in Him.  Our prosperity comes from Him.   Only He can fill the emptiness we feel.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Those desires that we have-worldly desires…for the perfect relationship with the perfect person, the perfect job, the fulfilled dream…may not be in line with God’s plans and desires for us.  When our heart turns to Him. When we draw close to Him, submit to Him, seek His will for our lives, He will give us new desires…desires that are in line with His desire for us.

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

We can’t be Sunday morning Christians.  We can’t walk the walk and talk the talk only when others are watching.  We can’t bargain with God asking for something in return for the “good” that we do.  We must turn over every aspect of our lives to Him.  Accept Christ and welcome in the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to guide our decisions.  We will prosper-spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially if we turn it all over to Him.

 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. NLT

Thirty years have passed. I’ve made poor decisions and good ones.  I’ve sinned and been forgiven.  I’ve suffered losses.  I’ve dealt with illness.  Is my life perfect? No…it won’t be on this earth.  But it’s good.  He’s never let me down.  I am blessed with loving children…with faithful family and friends…with the security of a home that is mine. I am doing things in ministry that I never dreamed I would have the opportunity to do.   I continue to trust in Him and He continues to Bless me in ways I could never have imagined.

Whatever mountain you’re crossing, whatever valley you’re in…TRUST and COMMIT to HIM,

 and HE will give you your heart’s desires.

**In the Name of the Lord Written by: Gloria Gaither, Phillip J. McHugh, Sandi Patti Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP

Darlene Shelton 8/28/22