“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of those who commit iniquities, for they quickly wither like grass and fade like green herbs. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him” (Psalm 37:1-5*).
When people talk about their desires, they often enthusiastically quote Psalm 37:4. We like the idea that God the Father will grant us what we desperately long for. But unfortunately, when we focus solely on receiving good things, we miss the context—this is a divine promise with a condition on the human side.
God's primary concern is not to fulfill our desires but rather to give us more of Himself. Selfish prayers ignore the condition for fulfilling the promise: delight in the Lord. We should find joy in spending time in fellowship and service to God. When we read God's Word and pray, we will experience His action in our lives, and our faith will deepen.
Over time, as our trust in Him grows, we will learn more about how the Lord thinks. He will reshape the desires of our hearts to align with His (see Ezekiel 36:25-27), and yet, His responses may differ from our requests. Instead of giving us what we think we want, He will provide the perfect answer to our prayers.
God delights in answering our prayers, but His greatest joy is to hear our desire to know Him better. Receiving the desires of our hearts is a result of our delight in the Lord and a commitment to His ways. Our greatest reward is a relationship with a loving God who willingly shares Himself with humanity.
Link to the original article: https://www.intouchuk.org/read/daily-devotions/the-desires-of-your-heart-4
* Bible quotes are from the Bible, New Translation from the Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013