There is a lot we can say about God. He is gracious, just, faithful, good, loving, powerful, and gentle. We could exhaust the entirety of the English language and it would not be adequate to fully describe Him. Because of our limited understanding, we have a tendency to focus on a very narrow part of who He is, and even assign our very best or worst thoughts about Him based on that perspective.

One of those very narrow perspectives of God has to do with what we receive from Him. He is called a good Father who gives good gifts. “Ask and it will be given to you.” Can it be any more clear than that?

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:11

Some people have twisted this verse along with Psalm 37:4 to mean that God will give us anything that we want. Any parent would agree that giving a child everything they want is not healthy. My hope for my children is that my wife and I, with the help of The Church, will raise them in a way that guides them to want the right things.

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He starts by addressing God as “our Father.” After recognizing The Father’s authority and holiness, His model of prayer turns toward alignment with the will of God. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord’s prayer starts with looking toward God and then moves directly into aligning our desires with His.

Psalm 37

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

What do we desire when we are delighting in The Lord? We desire more of Him and what He desires. Psalm 37 is all about trusting God and aligning with His will.

Don’t worry about other people because God is in control (vs. 1-2).

Trust God and do what is right (v. 3).

Delight in God and He will give us the desires of our hearts (His desires) (v. 4).

Commit to God and trust Him. He will respond with reward and vindication (vs. 5-6).

Be still, patient, and don’t worry about the success of others. Don’t get angry or worried. God works it all out (vs. 7-15).

It’s better to be righteous and not have much because God upholds the righteous (vs. 16-17).

God takes care of the blameless as the wicked die out (vs. 18-20).

The wicked steal and are destroyed, but the righteous give generously and God blesses them (vs. 21-22).

God always takes care of those who delight in Him (vs. 23-27).

These themes continue through the rest of the chapter. The point is that blessings and the “desires of our hearts” come from God when we are aligned with Him and His will.

What I want most is for all of my desire to be in line with what God desires. I want my will to align with His. This requires a complete trust in Him and a willingness to take risks as I step out in faith wherever He leads.

Father, You are holy. Let Your will saturate mine.