“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
In plain words: Make God your greatest joy, and your wants will begin to look more like His, and He will meet the deepest longings of your heart.
What Psalm 37:4 means.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. As you delight in Him, your desires start to look like His.
Common questions about Psalm 37:4
Does this mean God will give me anything I want?
No. This verse is not a wish list that God has to fill. To delight means to truly enjoy something. When you enjoy God and get to know Him, what you want begins to change. You start to long for what is good, and for what He cares about. The verse sits in a psalm about trusting God and doing good instead of envying people who seem to be getting ahead (Psalm 37:1-3). James 4:3 also warns that we can ask for things with selfish motives. God is a good Father who cares about your heart. He is not a machine that hands out prizes.
Apply it today: Tell God one thing you really want, and ask Him to shape that wish as you get to know Him.
What does it mean to delight in the Lord?
To delight is to enjoy and treasure something, like the way you feel around a friend you love being with. Delighting in God means getting to know Him and being glad about who He is. You can read what He has said in the Bible, talk to Him in prayer, and thank Him for the good things in your day, because every good gift comes from Him (James 1:17). It is not a performance, and nobody is keeping score. Psalm 16:11 says that real joy is found in His presence.
Apply it today: Write down three good things from today and thank God for each one.
What if I love God and still don't get what I want?
That can really hurt, and it is okay to say so. The Bible does not promise that every wish will come true on your schedule, and it never says that waiting means your faith is weak. Psalm 37 goes on to say we should commit our way to the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:5-7). Even Jesus brought a hard request to the Father and then trusted Him (Luke 22:42). I don't know why some wishes wait, and I won't make up a reason. You can bring the ache to God honestly (Philippians 4:6-7).
Apply it today: Pray tonight and tell God honestly about the wish that still hurts, then ask Him for peace while you wait.
Ask anything about it.
Every question gets a clear answer in seconds, and a way to live it today.
Live it today.
Spend time today enjoying God, not asking Him for anything.
Pray it back.
Lord, You are my delight. Shape the desires of my heart.
Carry it all day.
Put today’s verse on your lock screen, so every time you pick up your phone, the Word is the first thing you see.
On iPhone: open the image, tap Share, then Use as Wallpaper. On Android: open it and set it as your lock screen.
One verse every morning at 7 a.m. your time. Leave any time.