"Correctly Interpreting Psalm 37:4"

Our passage says, "Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Yesterday, in speaking with a Christ follower, he suggested to me that Psalm 37:4 is a promise that we'll receive whatever we desire. Is this the correct interpretation of this passage? The answer is no! He was not interpreting the promise correctly. When examining the context, we see that Psalm 37 teaches the Christ follower not to fret or become envious of the wicked and not focus on what they have or what they appear to be getting away with. Instead, we are to focus on the Lord by delighting ourselves in Him! The phrase, "Delight yourself in the Lord" is key for correct interpretation! Let's examine it. The word "delight" means "to enjoy or take pleasure in." It's the delighting of ourselves in the Lord that's supposed to govern and shape our desires! In other words, as we practice delighting ourselves in the Lord, gradually the Holy Spirit transforms our heart so that our selfish desires become the Lord's desires and it's those desires He'll grant! When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence on the inside of the person. The Holy Spirit brings NEW desires, wants, and loves! We have to realize that there are a lot of desires in our hearts that are selfish, impure and downright unwise! A loving, caring and all-knowing Father does not answer these requests! The way to bring our desires into conformity with the Lord is to learn to enjoy and take pleasure in God Himself! When this becomes our manner of life, then the desires of our heart are molded, shaped, and redefined in accord with our pleasure in Him. When we compare a parallel passage like the one in 1 John 5:14-15 the picture becomes clearer. John says, "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." The phrase "according to His will" is a condition that must be met! Praying "according to His will" results from delighting ourselves in Him! Praying "according to His will" is what brings our selfish desires into conformity with the Lord's! These are the desires that God takes pleasure in giving us! Your move. Be encouraged!