Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
Psalms 37:4 AMP
I was talking with a client this week about how much I’ve been enjoying her writing. Her stories are simple, everyday experiences in which God spoke a straightforward truth that became a personal, teachable moment for her. Reading these quiet nudges and lessons in her upcoming devotional, I can already picture women sitting with her words in their laps, nodding through tears, relating to what they are reading.
As I was talking to her about the delight reading her stories was, I shared with her that reading had always been a passion for me. When I was a child, I would hide under the covers with a flashlight and a book tucked close to my chest. When my parents caught on, I found another trick: the soft glow of the streetlight through my bedroom window. If I angled my book just right and parted the curtains, I could stay in those stories well past bedtime. Nancy Drew, The Boxcar Children, or Anne of Green Gables—they weren’t just characters, but treasured friends.
Coffee, Conversation, and a Quiet Whisper from God
This morning, sitting in a coffee shop with a friend and two empty cups of coffee beside me, I talked to the Lord about that early love for reading. Now, all these years later, I get to help others birth their stories into the world! How beautiful is that? Then, considering the delight and joy that comes from writing words for my own readers, I was in awe of the direction He’s led me in the past few years. And as I was asking Him what I should write today—for you—He spoke to my heart, “Tell them I will give them the desires of their heart, too.”
Sweet friend, that word is for you today.
Hope for Your Desires
Isn’t it just like God to whisper hope in the middle of the ordinary? While it’s easy to look around and compare—especially in seasons of life when it feels like you should have more figured out, more accomplished, or be more settled—God gently reminds us: don’t look sideways. Don’t measure your life against someone else’s timeline, their calling, or their version of success. Instead, the Lord invites you to delight yourself in Him. Trust that He sees and knows you. He has not forgotten the deep things you’ve long prayed for—the things you barely whisper anymore.
You see, when our delight is His delight, it changes the desires of our heart! It is then we begin to understand the power that comes from praying for things His Word says we can have—when our prayers start to echo His heart. Things like your spouse or children having a relationship with Him, the house or job you’ve been praying for, the health of a loved one, or holding a new life in your arms. In fact, the New English Translation phrases Psalms 37:4 this way: “Then you will take delight in the Lord, and He will answer your prayers.”
God Knows Your Desires
God knows the deep, intimate desires of your heart—the things that really matter to you. He knows, He cares, and He has a plan.
Chuck Smith’s commentary says, “God knows your situation. God knows your limitations. God loves you. God will take care of you. Just trust in the Lord.”[1] So take a moment to just breathe. You don’t have to figure out all the details. Just do the good in front of you and find joy in His presence, direction, and calling. Trust Him to do all that you can’t.
David Guzik put it beautifully: “The one who truly delights in the Lord will find his heart and desires changed, steadily aligning with God’s own good desires for his life.”[2]
Matthew Henry’s commentary reminds us that this promise isn’t about fulfilling every whim. It’s much deeper than that. “He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please Him and to be pleased in Him.”[3]
Keep Delighting in Him
Whatever you are doing in this season or facing today, know this: God sees you right where you are. He knows the deepest desires of your heart—the things you’ve been believing Him to do or to work out for you. And He’s calling for you to delight in Him. He wants you to trust Him to work out the details of the promises to which you are holding. Keep loving and pursuing His call. Then watch Him write the story of your life that is more beautiful than you could have imagined.
What are you praying for? Is it something you’ve not spoken out loud before? Take a bold step and write it out, then find a verse from God’s Word that you can stand on in faith as you believe for that to come to pass!
Download this FREE GIFT, a beautiful three-sheet printable. If you have a disc notebook, it’s the perfect size for that! Print, punch holes, and you are ready to write every bold prayer for which you are believing.
[1] Smith, C. “Verse by Verse Study on Psalms 31-40 (C2000) by Chuck Smith.” Blue Letter Bible. Last Modified 1 Jun, 2005. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/c2000_Psa/Psa_031.cfm
[2] Guzik, D. “Study Guide for Psalm 37 by David Guzik.” Blue Letter Bible. Last Modified 6/2022. https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/psalm/psalm-37.cfm
[3] Henry, M. “Commentary on Psalms 37 by Matthew Henry.” Blue Letter Bible. Last Modified 1 Mar, 1996. https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Psa/Psa_037.cfm