Symmetry

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” There is a symmetry described in this promise. To explain, I’ll start with some of my earthly delights. Having breakfast with a good friend. Walking in CW on a 50-degree sunny day. The “it is good” moment in the aftermath of cleaning out a closet. The admiration of a finished quilt. A 5-star grilled salmon dish ending with tiramisu. A compelling novel… True delights.

Delighting in the Lord can be thought of as symmetrical with seeing Christlike desires come to fruition. There is exact correspondence between the two things. Likewise, it’s not about the actual breakfast, but instead about having quality conversation with my friend. It’s not about the walking, but instead about the enjoyment of getting some good exercise corresponding to a lovely environment. It’s not about the task of cleaning, but the corresponding good feeling of seeing the results of the cleanout. It’s not about quilting, but instead about the sense of accomplishment corresponding to seeing a creative idea brought to life.

Symmetry happens when all is rightly paired. For me, this happens with exclusive one-on-one time with my husband, my daughter, my son, my friend, my parent, my granddaughter, my grandson… Quality time when you can just focus on the beloved one. Even if brief, it represents a true connection between two corresponding, but different things. There is a particular kind of symmetry. Those earthly delights I mentioned are only a shadow of the heavenly delights and satisfactions that come from being in God’s grip. God’s peace in the midst of life’s hard places, eternal forgiveness in the midst of deep pitfalls of sin, grace in the midst of heartache, mercy in the face of anxiety or threat. These desirable things are rightly placed in the life of one who delights in the Lord. The symmetry is unseemly, but true in the life of a believer. Even our heartaches and anxieties are tied to the One Who cares for us, in whom we delight.

Earthly delights are fleeting, but delight in the Lord is eternal. Delight in the Lord is a transcendent delight. A deep desire of the human heart is be known and understood and to share hopes, dreams, highs, and lows with someone who is close. In the case of closeness to Christ, my heart cannot just share those things but also reflect the very hopes, dreams, highs, and lows of my Savior, my Rock, my Redeemer. When that Ultimate Someone becomes the Lord Jesus, those shared hopes, dreams, highs, and lows take on new meaning. And there is delight. The desires of my heart become His – the yearning to see the good in others, the joy of a soul securely saved from sin and death, and the deepening love for God and interest in His motives and agenda rather than my own.

Symmetry happens when my heart only desires what Christ desires. When my desires align with His desires. Psalm 37:31 says, “The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.” The longer I spend time with the Lord, the more I want of Him. The more I want to know Him, His thoughts, His intentions, His interests, His passions, His plans for me, His heart. In obedience, I want to be perfectly symmetrical with Him, the exact correspondent. Therefore, I will delight in Him, knowing that my desires will be from Him. Even my desire to trust Him when circumstances cry out otherwise.

Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” This is symmetry. This is correspondence. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” When I delight in the Lord, my desires will be transformed and reflected by fruits of the Spirit. This is eternal symmetry. This is eternal correspondence.