Pay Attention to the Desires of Your Heart

Psalm 37:4, ESV

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

This is such a beautiful, hope-filled, and well-known passage of Scripture; but it is communicating something very profound that isn't quite seen at first glance.

So let's dig a little deeper.

The meaning of the Hebrew word translated delight in this verse might surprise you—it means to be soft, pliable, and delicate.

Likewise, the meaning of the Hebrew word translated give here might also surprise you—it means to put, set, bestow, appoint. It has the connotation of both the creation of the desire and the carrying out of that desire. 

So this well-known verse is not simply saying that God will give us everything we want when we love him. It’s so much more than that! It’s saying that when we keep our hearts soft and pliable in the hands of God, he will form our desires in order to fulfill those desires. He gives us our desires in order to give us our desires;) And it's all in accordance with his will for our lives. Paul describes this concept in his own words when he says that God is at work in us to will for his pleasure and purposes (Philippians 2:13).  

So, here’s what I want to leave us with today: if you are delighting yourself in the Lord, then pay attention to the desires of your heart.

If you start to feel your desires shifting, be intentional about taking them to God. Don’t ignore them. When we ignore our hearts’ desires, we can hold on when we need to let go. We can stay when we need to move on. Sometimes it’s not burnout, sometimes it’s God shifting our heart to move us on to something new. So pay attention to your hearts' desires because God is continually at work in them to lead you in his will for your life! 

Oh Lord, first and foremost please help us to keep our hearts pliable in your hands. Then, help us to pay attention to the desires of our hearts and be intentional when we feel our desires shifting. Have your way in our hearts, and have your way in our lives. Amen.