God’s Plans for You
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
READ Psalm 37:3–7
For six years, Agnes tried to make herself
the “perfect minister’s wife,” modeling herself after her adored
mother-in-law (also a pastor’s wife). She thought that in this role she
couldn’t also be a writer and painter, but in burying her creativity she
became depressed and contemplated suicide. Only the help of a
neighboring pastor moved her out of the darkness as he prayed with her
and assigned her two hours of writing each morning. This awakened her to
what she called her “sealed orders”—the calling God had given her. She
wrote, “For me to be really myself—my complete self—every . . . flow of
creativity that God had given me had to find its channel.”
Later, she pointed to one of David’s songs that expressed how she found her calling: “Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). As she
committed her way to God, trusting Him to lead and guide her (v. 5), He
made a way for her not only to write and paint but to help others to
better communicate with Him.
God has a set of “sealed orders” for each of us, not only that we’ll
know we’re His beloved children but understand the unique ways we can
serve Him through our gifts and passions. He’ll lead us as we trust and
delight in Him.
By Amy Boucher Pye |
How does Agnes’ story of living someone else’s life resonate with you? What has God put in your “sealed orders”?
Creator God, You’ve made me in Your image. Help me to know and embrace my calling that I might better love and serve You.
Explore how your identity is rooted in Christ. | | | | |
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
When David urged his nation not to envy
those who seemed to be winning by deceit or violence (Psalm 37:1, 7), he
was writing out of his own experience. He knew what it was to be
stalked by Saul, his own king and father-in-law. His psalm reflects what
he’d seen in God, who helped him overcome Goliath, the betrayals of
friends and family, and the military advantage of enemies. Learning to
trust an unseen God at a time when visible people hated him was his
recurring challenge. Reflecting on a hard road traveled, Psalm 37
foreshadows what the apostle Paul would one day express. In the service
of Christ, he too learned to see beyond the temporary, outward
appearance (2 Corinthians 4:16–18).
Mart DeHaan
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