What’s Inside Is All That Matters
“May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your counsel.” Psalm 20:4
What’s Inside Is All That Matters
Heart’s Desire – What do you think about when you read the words “heart’s desire”? Do you bring to mind all of those images of the good life that flood our culture? Do you see wealth, success, fame, popularity? Are you ready for the cover of People magazine?
Maybe your spiritual antenna is a bit more refined and you see something else. You might see joy or inner peace, calm assurance or soul satisfaction. However, if you knew just a bit more about these words, you might discover that they stretch us in a completely different direction.
The word is levav. In Hebrew, this word encompasses the entire disposition of the inner person. It covers thought, emotion, reason and attitude. In this verse, the idea is more like this: “May He give you what your heart (your inner constitution) is”. Now the light comes on. This verse is not about something we will get. It’s about becoming who we really are!
Do you recall how many times in the Bible God simply allowed the wicked to inherit the fruits of their own dispositions? Do you remember the countless examples of sin delivering its built-in consequences? This verse tells us that the same principle works for the righteous. You and I become who we truly are. The process of growth is always from the inside out. Go to work of your heart and the rest of your life is guaranteed to change. Pay attention to all the outside education and there is no necessary correlation to inner values at all. Now you know why contemporary education is so ineffective. Modifying behavior never solves a heart problem.
If you read this verse and thought about what God would give you, you need a heart adjustment. God only grants you the fruit of who are already are. There is no “getting” involved. David’s prayer is that God will allow you to be yourself. The awesome implication behind such a prayer is this: who are you on the inside?
