Introduction
In The Lord Will Give You the Desires of Your Heart – Psalm 37:4, I want to explore the true meaning of this biblical promise. Many interpret this verse as a guarantee that God will grant any request, but is this understanding correct? In this article, I will examine the context of the passage, the relationship between the desires of the heart and God’s will, and how this promise applies to those who delight in the Lord.
Will God Grant All Our Wishes?
How many times have we heard people say in sermons or even during prayers that God must do what we ask? Some even use strong words like, “I determine that this happens“, or claim that God has an “obligation” to fulfill our requests. It may seem absurd, but unfortunately, such attitudes are common in some evangelical circles. (Note: There are churches and religions that do not follow this way of thinking.).
Some attempt to justify themselves by citing certain biblical passages. Among them is Matthew 7:7, where we find the following words of Jesus: “Ask, and it will be given to you“. Others refer to Psalm 37:4, which says:
Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart“
Although these passages convey the idea that we can ask the Lord for something and He will grant it, none of them promote an attitude of arrogance in which a sinner can speak to the King of the universe in such a manner. It should be clear that this kind of mindset comes from a heart that is not truly surrendered to the Lord, for He is not our servant-we are His creation.
The Publican Left as an Example by Jesus
Our petitions should follow the example of the tax collector mentioned by Jesus:
Luke 18:13 – “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’“
With this in mind, we must now correctly understand the meaning of the passages mentioned above (Matthew 7:7 and Psalm 37:4). Will God really answer all the requests we make to Him? You might say no, but then what do we make of these verses? Didn’t Jesus say to His disciples, “Ask, and it will be given to you“? And doesn’t the psalmist also write that the Lord “will grant you the desires of your heart“?
Desires of an Evil Heart
If this interpretation were correct, we could confidently say that the Lord God would fulfill even the worst desires of the human heart. However, as written in Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is deceitful and wicked:
Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?“
Would the Lord really “grant the wishes of” a heart that is deceitful and wicked?
Of course not. This interpretation makes no sense and is a misreading of the Word of the Lord. If the next verse of Psalm 37:4 were read together with this passage, the meaning of the text would not be misunderstood. Let us see:
Psalm 37:4-5 – “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will bring it to pass“
When Our Heart Is In Harmony With Him
The Lord God will grant the desires of our hearts when our lives are surrendered to Him! In other words, our hearts must be converted to the Lord. This means that the evil desires of our hearts will no longer control us, because we will no longer be listening to our flesh but to the Spirit of God speaking within us (Romans 6:6; 8:5). In other words, our desires will align with God’s desires. We will no longer seek to do our own will but rather the will of the Lord.
When we pray to the Lord, asking for something we desire for our own benefit, without a true need for it, it is very possible that the Lord will not answer us, as the apostle James declared:
Carnal Heart
James 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it on your passions“
It is evident that prayers in which a mere sinner “commands” or “determines” something for God to do will not even be heard by the Lord, as such prayers come from a carnal heart unregenerated by the Spirit of God. In this case, it is man speaking, not God. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Lord will fulfill such requests.
According to His Will
A person can only be certain that their prayer will be heard by God when they meet the following requirement:
1 John 5:14 – “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us“
The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous when it aligns with His will. Sometimes, we may ask the Lord for the wrong things, even when using the best words we can express. We do not always know what is truly good in our prayers. What may seem good to us may not actually be so. Therefore, we should follow the example of the words Christ taught in His model prayer:
Matthew 6:10 – “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven“
How Did Jesus Pray? The Example of Jesus…
Jesus made it very clear that in our prayers, we must acknowledge that God’s will must be done. It is not our will but the Lord’s will! He not only taught this through His words but also gave us a perfect example to follow:
Matthew 26:39 – “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt“
When He was in Gethsemane, shortly before His suffering and crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the Father and asked Him to take away that cup-that is, the suffering He was about to endure. Even though He made this request, expressing the anguish in His heart, He affirmed that He did not want it to happen according to His will but according to the will of the Father.
What a contrast between Christ’s example and the attitude of many who profess to be Christians! The Spirit of God must dwell in our hearts and shape our desires to align with His own. Only then, when we ask the Lord for something, can He truly fulfill the desires of our hearts.
Conclusion: The Lord will give you the desires of your heart
When we examine Psalm 37:4 in light of Scripture, we understand that the promise “The Lord will grant you the desires of your heart“ does not mean that God will fulfill any request we make. Rather, it means that as we delight in Him, our desires will align with His will. A true Christian does not seek to impose their will on God but instead submits to His purpose, trusting that He always knows what is best.
Therefore, more than a guarantee of material blessings, this verse invites us to an inner transformation, in which our desires reflect what pleases the Lord. May we then surrender our ways to Him and trust that His promises will be fulfilled at the right time and in the right way.
May God bless us.
