What does it mean that God will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)?
The verse in Psalm 37:4 states “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is a popular verse that many Christians take to mean that if they love God and follow Him, He will give them whatever their heart desires. However, there is more nuance and depth to this verse than may appear on the surface. Let’s take a deeper look at what it really means.
The Context of Psalm 37
First, it is important to understand the overall context of Psalm 37. This psalm was written by David during a time when evil people were prospering while the righteous suffered. David encourages the people to trust in the Lord, do good, and delight in Him. God sees all and will ultimately bring justice. The wicked will fade like grass and perish but the righteous will inherit the land and live in peace and prosperity.
Psalm 37 calls us to hope in God’s justice, be patient, avoid anger and wrath, and wait on the Lord. The desires of our heart should be for God and His righteousness above all else. Material wealth, comfort, and earthly rewards are temporary. Our delight should be in the Lord and His eternal kingdom.
Delighting in the Lord
The first part of Psalm 37:4 tells us to “delight yourself in the Lord.” What does it mean to delight in God? The Hebrew word translated here as “delight” is ‘anag which means to be soft, pliable, and responsive. To delight in the Lord means we take joy in who He is, we desire His presence above all else, and we find pleasure in following and obeying Him.
Delighting in God requires loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). It means finding satisfaction and contentment in our relationship with God. He becomes our greatest treasure. We yield ourselves fully to Him, shifting the affections of our heart to make God our supreme delight.
As John Piper states “Delighting in the Lord means that knowing and trusting and enjoying God is our all-consuming passion. And when our delight is in God, he will shape the desires of our heart to match his own.” As we come to delight in the Lord, our own desires begin to align with His perfect, pleasing, and good will (Romans 12:2).
God Giving Us the Desires of Our Heart
The second part of Psalm 37:4 promises that when we delight in the Lord, He “will give you the desires of your heart.” Note the intentional order here. Delight precedes desire. It is only when we first take joy in God that He then grants the requests of our heart.
This does not mean God will give us whatever frivolous or selfish desires our sinful nature dreams up. But rather, as we find satisfaction in Him, our heart is transformed to want what He wants. As the Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks explained, “Where the heart is set upon God, where the heart is given to God, where the pulse of the soul beats strongly after God – there the desires of the heart are powerful with God.”
As Charles Spurgeon said of this verse, “It is certain that when we delight in God he will fulfill our desires. But our desires must not be for our own gratification but for the honor of God.” He further expounds, “He who delights in God will labor to be like God, merciful, holy, gracious, and perfect.” When we are delighting in the Lord, He shapes our desires to match His own.
How then does God fulfill these Christ-like desires? He grants us opportunities to glorify Him, grow in grace, extend mercy, see souls saved, and be satisfied in Him. He conforms us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Our desires for holiness, for Christ-likeness, for His glory – these desires of the transformed heart He is faithful to fulfill.
What Types of Desires Might God Say No To?
While God grants the right desires of a heart delighted in Him, He retains the right to say no to our requests that are misguided or spring from wrong motives (James 4:2-3). What are some examples of desires God may refuse because they do not align with His perfect will?
1. Desires for unhealthy relationships – God cares about our connections and may block relationship pursuits that would harm us or lead us astray.
2. Desires for more possessions – God wants us finding satisfaction in Him, not material things. He reminds us our worth is in Christ alone.
3. Desires for fame and spotlight – God wants humble servants, not those seeking fame for self. Any glory is meant to shine back on God alone.
4. Desires for ease and comfort – God calls us to live on mission for His kingdom, which requires sacrifice and hardship at times.
5. Desires to avoid dealing with sin – God wants to refine and mature us, which means facing and overcoming areas of sin and darkness.
6. Desires to avoid pain and trials – Though we desire comfort and ease, God uses struggles to shape Christ-like character in us.
7. Desires for perfect health – While God can and does heal at times, He uses our weaknesses to display His grace and power. Our true hope is in heaven’s perfection.
8. Desires for certain outcomes – God sees the full picture we cannot. He may block desires for particular outcomes because He has something better in mind.
As Timothy Keller explains, “If we focus on delighting in God and his grace, then he will shape the contours of our heart’s desires. He will give us the right desires.” God sees our lives from start to finish. He knows what will bring about our ultimate joy and conformity to Christ. Because of His perfect wisdom and love, He may redirect misguided desires or close doors that do not lead where we need to go.
What Delighting in God Looks Like
Delighting in the Lord is a daily experience of treasuring who He is, savoring His goodness, and yielding to His will. What are some tangible ways we can delight in God each day?
– Start the day with Scripture and prayer to orient our hearts toward Christ
– Sing and listen to worship music that focuses our mind’s on God’s glory and grace
– Memorize Scripture and biblical truths about God’s character
– Obey God’s commands and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit
– Give thanks and praise God throughout the day for His gifts and blessings
– Reflect on the cross and Christ’s sacrifice that demonstrates God’s love
– Repent quickly of any sin that threatens our fellowship with God
– Fellowship regularly with other believers who can refresh our souls
– Serve others out of the overflow of God’s grace at work within us
– Share our faith and live on mission so that others may know God
– Rest in God’s presence and abide in Christ through spiritual disciplines
As we pursue these rhythms and habits of grace, our hearts are trained to find joy, contentment, and satisfaction above all else in God. And from this place of delighting in Him, our desires will align with the desires of His heart.
Waiting Patiently on God’s Timing
It is also key to remember that God works on His timeline, not ours. Psalm 37 calls us to wait patiently for the Lord. Though He promises to fulfill the desires of those delighting in Him, His timing may not match our own.
Waiting on God to fulfill the right desires requires faith and patience: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself” (Psalm 37:7). As we delight in God, we can trust Him fully with both the shaping of our desires and the timing of their fulfillment according to His perfect will.
Examples of God Fulfilling Right Desires
Though we all go through seasons of waiting, Scripture offers many examples of delighting in God leading to Him graciously granting the desires of our heart in His timing:
– Hannah delighting in God though barren, then later conceiving her son Samuel (1 Samuel 1)
– David’s lifelong desire to build a temple for God fulfilled through his son Solomon (2 Samuel 7)
– Psalms delighting in God’s law resulting in wisdom and inner transformation (Psalm 119)
– Mary and Joseph welcoming Jesus the promised Messiah, just as they had hoped and waited for
– Paul desiring to preach among the Gentiles and transformed lives through his mission trips
– Christ delighting in doing the Father’s will and gloriously resurrected as the firstfruits of new creation
In each case, right desires followed delight in God. And He faithfully fulfilled each desire to further His kingdom and purposes. When our joy is in Christ above all else, we can trust God to grant the righteous, God-glorifying desires of our transformed heart.
What Delighting in God Does Not Guarantee
While Psalm 37 promises God will fulfill the righteous desires of those delighting in Him, this does not guarantee a life free of suffering, trials or hardship. God makes it clear that following Him requires us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and walk the narrow road (Luke 9:23, Matthew 7:14).
We cannot use Psalm 37:4 to claim God will grant us perfect health, wealth, ease, and comfort on this earth. Our delight must be in Him alone. God may fulfill sincere desires of our heart, or He may have something far greater in mind. But either way, He promises to walk with us through it all.
Delighting in God is not a quid pro quo bargain. We don’t delight in Him solely as a means to get something in return. We delight in God simply for who He is. Our desires are surrendered to what will bring Him the greatest glory. God does not exist to serve us but for us to glorify and enjoy Him.
Summary of Key Principles
To wrap up, here are some key principles from Psalm 37:4 to remember:
– Delighting in God means pursuing satisfaction and joy in Him above all else
– As we delight in God, He transforms our desires to match His own
– God grants the righteous desires that come from a heart delighting in Him
– We must wait patiently on God’s timing and trust His wisdom
– Delighting in God does not guarantee an easy life without trials
– Our delight is in God for who He is, not just what He can give us
– God retains the right to say no to desires that contradict His will for our lives
God delights in giving us good gifts (Matthew 7:11). When we delight ourselves in Him, submitting our desires to His will and timing, He will fulfill the righteous longings of our heart and bring great joy and purpose to our lives. May we learn to delight ourselves fully in the Lord each day!