How God Grants The Desires Of Our Heart: A Bible Study On Psalm 37

How God Grants The Desires Of Our Heart: A Bible Study On Psalm 37 May 29, 2017

How does God grant the desires of our hearts? Psalm 37 tells us how.

Trust in God

If we truly trust God, we won’t be seeking to find our own solutions to things because God’s Word has answers for our everyday life. David writes, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” (Psalm 37:3) and your anxieties will disappear. If you trust God, then nothing should trouble your heart, so we begin with trust. If you do not trust God, you cannot please God because you don’t take Him at His Word, and He promises to never leave us for forsake us (Heb 13:5). We can trust that.

Is David writing this to himself, to mankind, or to God (or all three)?

Why does David say “Do not fret because of evil men” (Psalm 37:1a)?

Why should we not envy these who do wrong (Psalm 37:1a; see Rev 20:12-15, 21:8)?

Delight in God

When children do things to please us, we are delighted in them, and small children often delight in helping around the house, even if it takes 4 times a longer to do something, but how does delighting in the Lord help us receive the desires of our hearts? David said “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:2), so if we are focused on pleasing God in our lives, we will be delighting the Lord and it will show up in the way that we live. It actually says if we delight in the Lord, not if He delights in us, so it’s up to us to delight in the Lord and then it’s up to God to grant us the desires of our hearts, whatever they may be, however a person who delights in God will have desires that align with pleasing and glorifying God.

What is one of your greatest desires?

Does your desire match with what delights God?

In what ways can we delight in the Lord?

Delight-yourself-in-the

Commit to God

The psalmist writes, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:5), so if you are committed to the Lord, you will do what He says, because a child of God will do what their Father says, and when you commit to obedience, God will act. God will not act for those who disobey. The good news is, someday, “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (Psalm 37:6), so if we know God will ensure justice is brought, we can commit more easily to Him because we can trust Him, knowing He does what He promises. Why would God act if you’re not committed to obeying Him?

In what ways does commitment show trust?

In what ways have you seen God act after your obedience?

Is God acting on your behalf conditional to trusting in Him? Explain

Is God acting on your behalf conditional to being committed to Him? Explain

Be Still Before God

If we are not thinking as God thinks, then being still before God, or waiting upon the Lord, might seem like a giant waste of time. Why just sit there? Here’s why; “the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” (Psalm 37:9). We must allow God to bring justice in His timing, so it might seem like a long, long wait, but placed against the backdrop of eternity, this time will seem infinitely short compared to the eternal glory that’s coming (Rom 8:18). That should give us more patience. Besides, we’re commanded to “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). God’s judgment seat is a one-seater and there is no room for us. I make a poor judge of the human heart because I can’t see into it like God can (1st Sam 16:7).

Does God’s coming judgment mean we should not fight for justice in this world?

What should be our response to evildoers (see Matt 5:11-12, 39)?

Describe what it is like to be “waiting” on the Lord, especially when it seems He delays.

The Meek and the Poor

In the world’s eyes, meekness is weakness, but that’s not true at all. Andre the Giant was a huge man and towered over everybody on the movie sets, but he was extremely meek, but would anyone ever accuse Andre the Giant of being weak? Not to his face! Moses was said to be the meekest man on the face of the earth (Num 12:3), but Moses was no weakling. No man could have done what he did in leading ancient Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness, journeying for forty years. Today, the meek don’t have much influence in this world, but someday, “the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace” (Psalm 37:11), so even if you’re poor, the Bible says, “Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked” (Psalm 37:16).

Why do most people think being meek means being weak?

How is meekness actually strength?

Why is it better to have a little with the godly than much with the wicked?

Does this teaching remind you of certain Beatitudes Jesus taught? Which ones (Matt 5)?

Established Steps

I am not the most coordinated person in my family. My girls stole all the grace while my son and I were left wanting, but regardless of that, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way” (Psalm 37:23), and that’s more important footing than where your physical foot goes. God will established your steps when you delight in Him, and as we have read, to delight in someone is to have a heart bent toward pleasing them, making them happy, listening to them, and obeying them, so even “though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand” (Psalm37:24). David has learned from experience that God will establish the footing of those who delight in Him, and so he can write from experience, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). When you read such precious promises like this, you cannot help but delight in God because He does not forsake His own (Heb 13:5). David has seen repeatedly that God is faithful to those whose delight is in Him.

Instead of asking questions here, let me show you what God says we are to do;

Do not worry (1), but trust (3), and delight (4), so you can rest in Him (7), and even in disaster (19), and even when we stumble (24), the Lord preserves His children (28), but for now, we must wait upon the Lord (34), and upon His timing. He is coming again. How soon? I don’t know. It seems soon, but the church has felt that way for the last 2,000 years, but I think that’s a good thing, because we’re told to be ready for His return, at any given moment, and that compels us to live a more godly life. At least it should.

Conclusion

The promises of God in Psalm 37 should bring us delight, and for those who delight in Him, He will establish their ways…all the way into eternity, or as David wrote, “he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever” (Psalm 37:28), and someday (soon?) in the kingdom, “The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever” (Psalm 37:29).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is host of Spiritual Fitness and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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