The Desires of My Heart

Heart Prep

God, help me to see how my desires match Your desires.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I remember going through a season where this was my favorite verse. Who doesn’t want God to give them the desires of their heart? Like the genie in Aladdin. I thought it would be so great if I could just ask for my three wishes and get them exactly how I wanted them from God.

That is not at all what this verse is saying. You can’t take the second part of the verse without taking the first. The first part says that we are to delight ourselves in the Lord. How do we delight in something? We obsess over it. If I’m delighted by a friendship, I spend more time with that friend. I call them, hang out with them, take pictures together, plan trips together, etc. I spend more time getting to know them because I delight in what I already know about them. And, as I’m sure you know, the more time you spend with a person the more you change and become like them. It’s funny how I pick up sayings that my friends use. I never said, “Well there ya go…”, until I started hanging out with a best friend that says it all the time. We become like the people we delight in. As we delight, we change. Delight in the Lord, and your desires will change to be like His. So, your desire for a new car may be replaced by a desire to see God move in the life of your sister. It’s still what you want, because now you want what He wants.  

Life Application

What are the desires of your heart now?

What are some steps you can take to delight yourself more in the Lord?

What is one thing you want to change in your life in response to this verse?