Delight, Trust, Commit, and Receive
“Delight yourself 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 act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:4–6 ESV)
Anything my heart desires?
When I first read this passage and saw the phrase, “He will give you the desires of your heart,” I thought, Wow! How can that be? My desires are usually self-centered, to say the least. It seemed to say I could have anything my heart desires!
But upon closer examination
I noticed the conditions included in the surrounding verses:
Delight yourself in the Lord
Commit your way to the Lord
Trust in Him
This combination does something remarkable
It transforms your desires. When you truly delight in the Lord and commit your way to Him, trusting Him fully, your desires begin to align with His will. Then, when He gives you the desires of your heart, they reflect what He already wants for you.
Trust with all your heart
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5–6)
Strength and help
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” (Psalm 28:7 ESV)
Therefore
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7–8 WSV)