Delight in the Lord

Gary Wilkerson

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4, ESV). In this powerful passage from Psalm 37, David points out that the Lord’s delight comes from what God wants to do in our lives.

Often, we wrongly interpret this verse to mean whatever delights our hearts: prosperity, a new house, a new car, a better raise, or even a pain-free life. We want all the creature comforts around us, and those are the desires of the heart. Sometimes we even accuse God, saying, “Lord, you said you would give me the desires of my heart, and yet I don’t have them.” 

However, it is important to heed the first part of the verse: “Delight yourself in the Lord.” When we delight in the Lord, we say, “Lord, you are my joy, my hope, my victory, and you are my passion and my heartbeat. You are the apple of my eye.”

Delighting in the Lord means focusing on his voice, which we want to hear, and his commands, which we want to receive. It is about wanting to have an intimate relationship with him. When we delight in the Lord like that, our hearts change. What do we desire? We desire to know him more. We delight in being used by God more. 

We also desire more faith and confidence in the Lord when battles rage. We ask God to delight in the help he provides through the midst of a storm. As we delight in the Lord, he grants us those desires from him. Then Scripture says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Psalm 37:5-6).

The result that takes place when we delight in the Lord and commit ourselves to him is that he brings forth our righteousness as a light. He’s not bringing forth our prosperity, our comfort or our ease. He’s bringing forth a righteousness in you and me that the world doesn’t understand or that very few people see in their lifetime. 

Friend, like David, delight in the Lord, befriend faithfulness and trust in him. He will act on your behalf and fill your heart with righteousness.