A sheer delight

Delight yourself . . . in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.                — Psalm 37:4

After finishing high school in 1941, Clair Hess anticipated serving his country by joining the army. But when he developed a heart murmur from a bout with scarlet fever, he was denied acceptance. He admits that he was envious of his fellow graduates and other servicemen in their uniforms, but he was helped by reading Psalm 137 and seeing how the psalmist David handled envy.

While Clair was wondering about God’s direction for his life, his uncle suggested to him that the Lord might be calling him to His service. So Clair attended Moody Bible Institute and was led into a career of singing and later editing for RBC Ministries. He’s been doing that for 50 years now and calls serving God “a sheer delight.”

David encouraged us in Psalm 37 to delight in the Lord and not to envy others (vv. 1-4). Although he was talking about envying people who get away with evil, we can apply it to other types of envy. Instead of comparing ourselves with others, we need to delight ourselves in God. In His time, He’ll fulfill the desires of our heart and affirm that we are in His will.

We’re all in “God’s service” as believers. And serving Him is a sheer delight.   — Anne Cetas

Let the joy of the Lord be your strength —

May His peace fill your heart day and night;

As you walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

You will find that He’ll lead you aright. — Hess

READ: Psalm 37:1-11

Contentment comes when God’s wil  is more important than our wants.

The Bible in one year:

• Psalms 9-11