He will give you the desires of your heart
What does it mean that God will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)?
Psalm 37:4 contains a great promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse invites us to have a deeply intimate relationship with God. As we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. To fully appreciate this promise, we must review the immediate context, unpack its meaning, and apply it to our lives.
Psalm 37, penned by King David, is a poetic meditation on the righteousness of God and the fulfillment of His promises. This psalm specifically addresses the struggles faced by the righteous in a world that is dominated by the wicked (verses 1–2). Despite these struggles, David encourages his readers to “trust in the Lord and do good” (verse 3). It is within this context that we find the promise of verse 4 that God will “give you the desires of your heart.”
To understand the promise in Psalm 37:4, we must first examine the meaning of delighting in the Lord. The word delight encompasses a profound sense of joy, satisfaction, and contentment. When we delight in the Lord, we seek His presence (Psalm 27:4), meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2), and align our will with His (Romans 12:2). This involves the heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37).
When we delight in the Lord, we will experience a radical shift in our desires. In other words, we will no longer desire selfish and sinful things (Galatians 5:17–21). Instead, we will desire the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (verses 22–23). And, when we desire the same things God desires for us, our requests will be granted (Matthew 6:33 and John 14:14).
The promise in Psalm 37:4 does not imply that God is a cosmic genie who grants every fleeting whim or selfish request. On the contrary, the promise points to a definitive transformation within our heart as we draw closer to Him.
God’s response to our delight in Him is twofold. First, He shapes and molds our hearts to align our will with His. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are purged of selfishness, pride, and unrighteous desires. As we draw closer to Him, our desires will begin to mirror His desires for us, reflecting His goodness and righteousness.
Second, God will grant desires that accord with His will and glory (Romans 11:36). This does not mean that every request will be granted; rather, the desires of our heart will be fulfilled in ways that accomplish His purpose for our lives (Romans 8:28).
God’s response to our delight in Him may not always meet our expectations or occur immediately. His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9), and His timing is beyond our comprehension. He may even use delays or redirections to refine our desires and strengthen our faith in Him. As we wait for God to answer our requests, we can trust that His timing is always perfect (Isaiah 40:31).
Psalm 37:4 prompts us to delight in the Lord and align our desires with His perfect will. As we cultivate a heart that finds joy, satisfaction, and contentment in Him, He will transform our desires to reflect His purposes. While the fulfillment of our desires may not always align with our expectations, we can trust in the faithfulness of God. By embracing the promise in Psalm 37:4, our lives become characterized by the fulfillment of desires that bring glory to Him.
