Psalm 37:1-7
(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)
We have examined verses 1 through 3 and 5 through 7 of Psalm 37. Why did I skip verse 4? Because it summerizes the other verses. And this one verse shows clearly the secret of how to get your prayers answered! But it comes with a warning: it is not a quick and easy answer! Once more, here is Psalm 37:1 through 7:
Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the
workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like
the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD,
and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithful-
ness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give
you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD,
trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall
bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your jus-
tice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently
for Him....
Now let’s concentrate on verse 4 – “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
- “Delight yourself also in the LORD….” How am I to delight myself in the LORD?
✡ Delight in Hebrew is ענג, pronounced aw-nag’. The mean-
ing is a bit difficult to discern! Here is what it says
in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: “...to be soft or pli-
able, that is, (figuratively) effeminate or luxurious:
[translated in KJV as] delicate (-ness), (have) delight
(self), sport self....”
Here are how other translations and paraphrases deal with the word Delight:
➔ Easy-to-Read Version – “Enjoy serving the LORD....”
➔ Good News Bible – “Seek your happiness in the
LORD....”
➔ God’s Word (to the Nations) – “Be happy with the
LORD....”
➔ Lexham English Bible – “Take pleasure in Yahweh
as well....”
➔ Revised Standard Version – “Commit your way to
the LORD....”
➔ New World Translation (Disclaimer! I do not recom-
mend the NWT translation. The Watchtower Bible and
Track Society [Jehovhah’s Witness] does not present
a scholarly interpretation, and the theology of
Jehovah’s Witness is heretical. However, in this
case of Psalm 37:4, I believe they have it right) –
“Also take exquisite delight in Jehovah....”
✡ So the idea of delighting yourself in the Lord means...
➔ ...to be tender and soft, thoroughly open to God –
all that He is and all that He wants to do in your
life!
➔ ...to be pliable under His transforming touch!
➔ ...to be gentle in that you will not fight Him or
struggle against what He is doing or wants to do
in and through you!
➔ ...to be sincerely saying in all things, “...
nevertheless not my will, but Yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:42).
So the idea is to totally align your will to God’s (and His will to yours). And to do it with delight, enthusiasm, and dedication – nothing held back!
✞ It means to take exquisite delight in the first and
greatest commandment: “Hear...the Lord our God, the
Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:
29, 30).
✞ And, since Jesus tells us in John 14:15 (The Living
Bible), “If you love Me, obey Me...,” we can substi-
tute ‘obey’ for the word ‘love’ in the first and
greatest commandment: “Hear...the Lord our God, the
Lord is one. And you shall obey the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your mind, and with all your strength.”
And we are to do this all the time!
- “…and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” When you so align your heart, soul, mind, and strength with God’s, then…
✞ ...what He wants will be exactly what you want!
✞ ...you will be praying according to His will! For
it is written in I John 5:14 and 15:
Now this is the confidence that we have in
Him, that if we ask anything according to
His will, He hears us. And if we know that
He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that we have asked of
Him.
✞ ...you will get your prayers answered!
Earlier, in both How To Get Your Prayers Answered! – II, and at the beginning of this Gem, I warned you, this will not be a quick and easy answer! As a matter of fact, it is a very difficult answer! But the more you “Delight yourself also in the LORD…[the more] He shall give you the desires of your heart.”