I majored in what is now a defunct course of study called Elementary Classroom Music at Bowling Green State University. The goal was to become a specialist in elementary music methods. Learning to sing in a somewhat pleasant voice was also a requirement. Fortunately for me, I loved to sing. But to my dismay our selections consisted of sacred vocal music. I didn't know God, didn't know the Bible and frankly, didn't really give much thought to either of them. Regardless, in order to pass my voice juries I needed to choose a song from the body of literature presented.
The song I picked had a beautiful, almost haunting melody and I loved it. Thus, the piece O Rest in the Lord by Felix Mendelssohn became my closest companion as I sang it day and night while nervously preparing for my performance at the end of the quarter. (By the way, I passed my juries, although the critique from the judges' panel was brutal. Hmmm... a foreshadowing of American Idol? And yes, to this day, I remember what was said.)
Well, fast forward to age 22 and I am working my dream job as an elementary classroom music teacher. I do meet Jesus, surrender to him as Lord of my life, and start reading the Bible. And, who knew? There in the Psalms I found the words, almost verbatim, to my favorite song from my college voice lessons. I was quite enthralled because my song was actually a song of the Psalmist in The Bible!
When you literally have a song in your heart and the words are inspired by God, they can not help but take root. God planted the seeds of hope, comfort and care in my heart that I didn't recognize at the time. As I grew in my faith, I pondered the lyrics/text of "O Rest in the Lord," Psalm 37, and verse four repeatedly captured my attention.
Eventually Psalm 37:4 blossomed into what continues to be my favorite scripture:
"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Like so many non-believers (and sadly, many Christians as well) I spent most of my life delighting in whatever got me through to the next day, week and year. I may not have known the Lord, but I certainly knew the human desires of my heart. Biblical scholars state that once we delight in the Lord, he shapes our hearts' desires to match up with his and we are guided then by holy desires. For me this has been what spiritual directors define as a "slow work of God." But what if we can't delight in the Lord because we're so enmeshed in striving for our more natural desires?
My colleagues with expertise in developmental healing state that God wires these natural desires, our core longings, into each of us. At each stage of life, from birth to death, we seek to get these longings met from our family around us and other significant people in our lives. Ultimately, these longings can only fully be met and experienced through a relationship with Jesus and partially experienced in the now through the body of Christ.
Dr. Anne Halley, a pioneer in developmental healing, sums up these core longings in the following words:
Unconditional love
Belonging
Security
Understanding
Significance
Purpose
Here is where the body of Christ, you and I, can be mindful and move people from the despair of unmet longings to the delight in our Lord, the great provider.
First, help the care receiver identify the core longing that surfaces when he is hurting and;
Second, encourage the care receiver to bring that hurt and longing to the Lord in prayer.
How can you make a difference in the life of a hurting soul?
Validate his core longings. God designed us to have them.
Help him identify the particular longing or longings that are surfacing at this time of struggle.
Reassure him that his longings are legitimate and Jesus wants to fill them.
Encourage him to pray and bring these longings to Jesus.
Be Jesus to him by providing for these longings in Christ-like ways.
- How can you show him unconditional love?
- In what ways can you help him feel like he belongs?
- Can you empathize with his pain and seek to understand it?
- What spiritual gifts can you acknowledge and help him use that gives his life purpose?
- How can you help him feel more secure in his relationship with you?
- In what ways can you validate his worth and help him embrace significance?
This is the hard work that often precedes a season of delighting in the Lord.
Since my college days, O Rest in the Lord , Psalm 37, has become more than a song to sing to pass a voice class. It continues to minister to me today. Would you like to hear this exquisite melody?
For a sweet and clear rendition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mkswYQ5hoA&feature=related
or for a different visual and more operatic voice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fs1hCBDWpA&feature=related
You might want to turn to Psalm 37:1-7 in your Bible as you listen to the words and music. You'll notice that Mendelssohn paraphrased some of the scriptural text, but the meaning is not lost.
". . . and he will give you the desires of your heart."
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