Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. – Psalms 37:4
Psalms 20:4 May He grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.
What are desires? More particularly, what are the desires of the heart?
A desire is something that people want or think they need. Desires are our wants or seeming “must-haves.” Imagine a toddler in the checkout line of a supermarket, relentlessly repeating its demands to its poor, harried mom. Their insistence essentially boils down to, “I want what I want when I want it. And you don’t care what it does to the rest of us.” (Betty Draper, Mad Men)
Often, people equate human “desire” to an intense, heartfelt longing or craving. These fervent desires could be likened to what the apostle John refers to as the lust of the flesh and the eyes.
1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.
At first glance, such an understanding seems plausible. Many people simply stop at that point without digging deeper. However, additional investigation and reflection yield a deeper, more significant understanding when the superficial layers are peeled away.
So, what are the desires of the heart? They are essentially “What we crave the most” (UBS). Our Father promises to give us what our “heart desires.”
Luke 11:13 If sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
The Hebrew word translated as desire is mishalah. Mishalah is also translated as a request or petition. It is derived from the Hebrew verb sha’al, typically translated as ask, inquire, or desire.
Could it be that the desires of our hearts are transformed into action through our prayers in the form of our requests and petitions? In this case, our heart desires are not selfish cravings. Instead, they are our supplications, made known to the Father through prayer. The phrase “he will give you your heart’s desires” could be translated as “he will give you what you desire most” (NET). The Hebrew literally reads, “he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”
Desires of the heart originate deep within our renewed spirits. Our prayers express our innermost desires. When we pray, and the Father responds and answers, He grants the desires of our hearts.
Further, over time, a remarkable transformation takes place. Our hearts begin to desire what the Father desires for us, and our longings align with the Father’s.
Most often, the Scriptures mean what they say. They make common sense. However, in this instance, the Scriptures imply something more profound than what is communicated at face value.
Psalms 37:4 promises that the desires of the heart will be realized as we delight in the Lord.
The context and flow of the Psalm help unlock its meaning. This is where it gets interesting. The Psalm begins with an appeal.
We are advised not to fret over the wicked or envy those who engage in wrongdoing.
Psalms 37:1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.
Those who commit wrongdoings and act wickedly often prosper. How should we react? David shows the way and guides us towards an appropriate response. He is calm, peaceful, faithful, and does not fret or get upset. Despite the seeming paradox of the circumstances, he exhibits a serene, unshakable confidence.
The Hebrew word translated as fret or worry is tithhar. Tithhar comes from the Hebrew verb charah, which means to become hot, burn, angry, excited, or irritated. Therefore, we’re advised not to fume and succumb to anxiety when witnessing the success of the wicked.
Rather than focusing on wrongdoers and seething with anger, the children of the King should focus on the Father. Regrettably, being obsessed with enemies and rivals cannot be easily eradicated with a simple flip of an on-off switch. Instead, these preoccupations act more like a dimmer switch that can be slowly turned up or down. In the process, we shift our focus to the Father.
We’re encouraged to place our trust in Him (37:3), take delight in Him (37:4), commit our way to Him (37:5), be still before, and wait patiently for Him (37:7). We are to do good (37:3), acting out of justice and righteousness (UBS).
The Hebrew word for delight is anog. Anog means to be soft, delicate, or dainty. It came to mean to take pleasure in, take comfort, or enjoy. It even has the sense of pampering. We delight ourselves in the Lord and pamper ourselves by finding comfort, joy, and pleasure in Him.
REFLECT & PRAY
Pamper yourself! Delight yourself in the Lord.
Father thank You for providing a better way to react to sources of irritation. Encourage me to delight in You.
INSIGHT
It is way too easy to respond with anger or jealousy to the success of the wicked. There is a right way and a wrong way. David models a better way (Psalms 37:1-9). “The alternative to anger is to surrender and trust what the LORD has in store” (James H. Waltner). The right way is summarized in one phrase: “Take delight in the LORD.”
As children of the King, when we face sources of irritation, we can choose a better way to react: delighting ourselves in the Lord. David provides sound reasoning for his response. He explains that the prosperity of wrongdoers is often a reality. But it is fleeting and temporary.
Psalms 37:2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
He uses two examples from everyday life: grass that dries up and spring flowers that wither under the hot sun. “It is a figure of temporary success and prosperity quickly ended by harsh conditions” (UBS). In contemporary English, we would say they are “here today, gone tomorrow.”
When wrongdoers are successful, it can provoke negative feelings within us, such as resentment, anger, or jealousy. These negative emotions take our eyes off the Father and fix them on the source of irritation.
Stanley outlines strategies to evade adverse feelings and cultivate positive reactions. First, we need to acknowledge and admit our negative emotions. Secondly, we should express gratitude for the achievements of others and pray to the Father to instill love in our hearts for them. Thirdly, we must keep our attention solely on the Father. We should find joy in Him, knowing He has pledged to fulfill the desires of our hearts. Our primary focus should be on what He’s done for us and the promises He has made to us through His Word. It’s crucial to remember that the Father is God and has the right to bless each of us in the way He sees fit (Stanley).
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 