Our Will

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this (Psalm 37:4-5). When our children were small, they were often completely in my will as they played in the back garden, though I had not told them to do the particular things they were doing. They would still have been within my will even if they were playing in their rooms or having a snack in the kitchen. Too often we assume that what God wants us to do automatically excludes what we want to do and even what we want God to do. That is not true. Generally speaking, we are in God’s will whenever we are leading the kind of life God wants for us. And that leaves a lot of room for initiative on our part. God respects our initiative and ideas and thinks they are central in doing his will in our lives.  —Dallas Willard, Hearing God Through the Year

What a life liberating thought Willard gives us in today’s reading! God calls us to live our best life! True delight in the Lord comes from knowing Him deeply and walking in His ways. When we find our greatest joy in His presence, our desires begin to align with His will. Psalm 37:4 reminds us that as we delight in God, He transforms our hearts, shaping our desires to reflect His goodness and purpose. This is a promise that when our hearts are fully surrendered to Him, He fulfills us with what is truly best. Committing our way to the Lord means surrendering our plans, dreams, and worries into His capable hands. Trusting Him requires patience and faith, even when His timing or direction differs from our expectations. Psalm 37:5 reassures us that God is faithful to act on our behalf when we rely on Him completely. As we walk in trust and obedience, we will witness His faithfulness, and His perfect plans will unfold in ways beyond what we could have imagined. —DH