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Download Today’s Devotional: Day – 19 – Psalm 37 – He Will Give You the Desires of Your Heart

Can you imagine what it would be like to live a life wherein you consistently have your hearts desires? Would it be a dream or a nightmare?  I guess that depends on the nature of your desires.

Let’s go to the Father in prayer:

Heavenly Father, I come to you this morning to receive insight and instruction from your word. You gave us the ability to desire deeply; and in so doing, gave us the capacity for deep disappointment when those desires go unfulfilled. I believe that it’s your desire that I would live an abundant life and not one of disappointment.  Help me to understand how to achieve that life. I ask this in the name and authority of your son Jesus Christ, Amen.

In the beginning of Psalm 37, the author exhorts us not to be envious or even absorbed with the exploits of the wicked. They seem invincible and are then suddenly gone. Don’t be vexed by the 24-hour news cycle, by the boasts of evildoers. Instead, trust in the Lord and do what you know is right. In so doing you are promised protection and prosperity. Commit your plans to Him, delight in Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart. What an amazing statement. But what if your desires are not for God’s best in your life?  What if you desire something that seems great now, but will end in heartache or disaster later?  This is why we delight in the Lord, commit to him, in verse seven we are told to sit quietly and wait patiently on Him. This is the key, when we wait on the Lord, which, by the way, you are doing right now, He will give you the desires; that is to say, He will give you Godly desires in your heart that can be fulfilled without regret!

Psalm 37

A psalm of David.

¹ Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. ² For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. ³ Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. ⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. ⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. ⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. ⁸ Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper – it only leads to harm. ⁹ For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. ¹⁰ Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. ¹¹ The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. ¹² The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. ¹³ But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. ¹⁴ The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. ¹⁵ But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. ¹⁶ It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. ¹⁷ For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. ¹⁸ Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. ¹⁹ They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. ²⁰ But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field – they will disappear like smoke. ²¹ The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. ²² Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. ²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. ²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. ²⁵ Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. ²⁶ The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. ²⁸ For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. ²⁹ The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. ³⁰ The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. ³¹ They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. ³² The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. ³³ But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial. ³⁴ Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. ³⁵ I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. ³⁶ But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! ³⁷ Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. ³⁸ But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. ³⁹ The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. ⁴⁰ The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him. ^[1]

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ps 37). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.