Psalm 37 - How to Get the Desires of Your Heart

I've been trying to not write the same things about the psalms that I wrote before (in case you just joined us, I blogged a Psalm a Day for 150 Days back in 2012.) But I've used today's psalm as an outline to tell people how to get their hearts desires for - well, decades. :-)

I like to word it like this because getting your heart's desire is sorta like an American ideal - life, liberty and getting everything you want. So when I say, "get everything your heart desires" people perk up and pay attention.

Before you report me to the anti-"name it claim it" patrol read this entire post.

Yes. You can have everything your heart desires. Here's how.

1. Trust in the Lord and do good v.3
2. Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart v.4
3. Commit your way to the Lord v.5
4. Trust in Him and He will do this v.5
5. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him v.7
6. Do not fret when evil people succeed vs.1, 7
7. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath v.8
8. Live blamelessly v.18
9. Give generously vs.21, 26
10. Turn from evil and do good v.27
11. Utter wisdom and speak what is just v.30
12. Have the law of God in your heart v.31
13. Hope in the Lord and keep His way v.34

A shorter list would just be number 2 above - Take delight in the Lord.

I took some Nyquil so I'm going to just jump to the ending. You'll need to fill in the connecting thoughts.

If you truly delight in the Lord then the desires of your heart will be the things that He desires. Your prayers will be much like in the Lord's model prayer where Jesus teaches us to pray "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

The opposite of this would be like what James says, When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3 read it in context here

Bottom line:

When you delight in the Lord your prayers will be for things that He wants to see happen so He will be more than happy to give you the desires of your heart.