Delight will Shape your Desires
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
This is a passage of scripture that I often see quoted on social media or hung on the walls of homes. There are two key words in Psalm 37:4, delight and desire. The word desire often gets emphasized more. For example, well known problematic prosperity “word of faith” preacher Joel Osteen posted: “God wants to see that dream come alive. He wants to give you your heart’s desire filled with His abundant goodness and favor.”
But is Psalm 37:4 about God promising to make all your dreams come true? When interpreting scripture and determining its meaning and application, it’s always essential to consider the historical and literary context in which it is found.
The psalms in general have been categorized based on their historical background, main theme or writing style. Traditionally, the various psalms have been placed into the following general categories: thanksgiving, wisdom, lament, royal, trust, praise, prophecy, pilgrimage, imprecatory, and temple hymns. Many of the psalms can be placed into more than one of these categories.
Psalm 37 is categorized as a wisdom psalm. Wisdom psalms are similar to the proverbs of Solomon in that they contain wise sayings and truths by which we can live honorable lives. This category of psalms explores the righteous and ethical behavior that God’s people are called to embrace and typically draws from the experiences of the psalmist to provide insights for living godly lives. Wisdom psalms often highlight the consequences of righteous and unrighteous living, while also containing exhortations to trust in God's rule and just ways.
With this background in mind, let’s consider the meaning of Psalm 37:4. Does this verse promise that God wants to make all of our dreams come true? In addition to the broader context of this wisdom psalm, notice that in the first part of verse 4, the psalmist exhorts his readers to: “Delight yourself in the Lord…” The call to delight in the Lord is followed by the divine promise, “and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
The Hebrew word for delight, "anag," is a verb which means to be soft and delicate, but also to delight oneself in, to be glad, to enjoy, especially taking delight and pleasure in God, (implying the desirability of the object). (See also Job 22:26, Isa 55:2, Psalm 37:4).
Interestingly, another Hebrew word for delight, "chephets," means to bend toward or incline toward, a very fitting description of what our attitude should be toward God! (Source)
I want to suggest to you that what we delight in most has the power to shape our desires. Since delight also means to be soft and delicate, something that is not hard is pliable and moldable.
Not only will our delight shape our desires, but what we desire most will shape our character, and our character will determine our habitual actions, and our habitual actions will determine our destinies.
If you recall, when Eve gave into the temptation of the devil in the garden and fell for his deception, the word of God reveals:
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6
What we delight in, either for good or for evil, will shape our desires. Our desires will then determine our actions, shape our behaviors, and control what we live for. If this is true, then it’s vital that we ask ourselves, “What am I delighting in? What do my eyes gaze upon? What am I setting my mind upon to experience pleasure and delight?"
When we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior, we enter into a relationship with God; a relationship that we must cultivate and where we can find the greatest delight. Are you taking time to delight in your relationship with God, in the promises of His word, and in serving His purpose, which calls for us to be generous with His blessings? Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)
When we are abiding in Christ and delighting in His goodness, our character will increasingly be marked by generosity. We will find great joy in being a blessing and a conduit of the love of God. When we delight in the Lord, our desires will be shaped by His love and our wills will be aligned with His purpose. (Psalm 37:23-26)
It is essential to recognize that delighting in the Lord is an ongoing process. As we grow in our relationship with God, our understanding of His character and His desires for our lives will deepen, leading to an even greater sense of delight and satisfaction in Him. When this is true of our lives, when delight in the Lord is transforming our desires to know more of the love of God and share His love with others, we can be assured that He will gives us the desire of our hearts, as Psalm 37:4 promises.
Nathan Cook put it this way:
“This phrase is not a promise of material wealth or worldly success. It does not mean that God will give us anything we want, regardless of whether our desires align with His will. Instead, it assures us that when we delight in the Lord and make Him the center of our lives, our desires will naturally begin to align with His. As a result, He will grant us the peace, contentment, and purpose we long for.
Delighting in the Lord shapes our desires, which in turn impacts our priorities, decisions, and actions. This transformative process leads to a life marked by a growing sense of contentment, purpose, and fulfillment in God's presence and His plan for our lives.”
It’s important to note also that delighting in the Lord not only shapes our desires to His desires, but can include being thankful to Him for all His good gifts and blessings. James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)
When we enjoy God’s creation (Psalm 19:1) and all His blessings (family, food, friendship) as coming from God’s gracious hand with thanksgiving, we are delighting in God; we are worshipping God. The more we delight in Him and worship Him, the more we will become like Him and find joy in generosity.
Are you struggling with the deceitful desires that leave you empty and dissatisfied? Desires can promise much but pay little. (See Ephesians 4:17-24). Turn your eyes upon Jesus and delight in Him. In everything give thanks. Let His goodness shape your desires and give you power to live a meaningful and generous life, a life that is worth Jesus dying for!
-Pastor Marco