Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
“Lord, I pray that you fill me with Holy desires. That the things I strive for are from you. I pray that the desires in me are not from me. That every goal is directly in line with your plan for me and my life. God I ask that you would make my paths straight. That I never would need to question when things seem to go wrong, because I will know that you are guiding my path. I ask that you lead my life, through every decision, so that I am walking in accordance with your plan.”
This feels like a pretty valid prayer, right? That we would desire the Lord to give us desires so that we know what we are striving for is from Him and approved by Him. And that he would guide us on the path to these desires. I believe that we should ask the Lord for help when it comes to this. But let’s also take a look at the scripture.
Psalm 37:4 says that the Lord will in fact give you the desires of your heart, but is that all it says? Is there a responsibility on our end? Yes. It says we must take delight in the Lord. If we do so, he WILL give you the desires of your heart. If you want the desires of your heart to be in alignment with God, you can ask, but you should also check that you are taking delight in the Lord. If you are not sure, I would start your prayer there. Ask for help to see His commandments for what they truly are for. Not to box us in, but rather to protect us. God doesn’t want us to sin, because He genuinely knows what is best for us. He loves us, and it becomes more natural to take delight in the Lord when you can view His instruction for us in this way. Continue to seek what it means to take delight in the Lord by reading the Bible, praying, and talking with other Christians. There are resources online that can be helpful as well when learning how to take delight in the Lord, but just know however you learn, your delight must be genuine.
Now let’s look at Proverbs 3:5-6. It says the Lord will make our paths straight. But is there anything he is asking us to do first? Yes again. The scripture says we must trust in the Lord with all of our heart, lean not on our own understanding, and submit to Him. Then when we do that, He will make our paths straight. We can ask Him to lead our lives, but there is responsibility on our end too.
Sometimes when I think about my future, I get overwhelmed. I see a highway ahead of me, full of endless exit ramps, all leading to a different life as a result of decisions that I am responsible for making. I can’t take them all. I want to carefully consider each one and make the best choice. There are so many attainable options, so long as I commit to a route. This is where it gets overwhelming, because I have no idea what I should pursue. I think, “Lord, what should I do?” and I realize it would be so much easier if I did not have to figure it out, but rather was directed by the Lord. If He gives me clear desires, and He directs my path, then I won’t have to worry about making the wrong decision. It will be in alignment with The Lord’s plan, and that will be what is best. I seek the Lord and pray that first prayer, but am I also taking delight in the Lord in my day to day life? Am I fully trusting him and not relying on my own understanding? Am I truly submitting to Him? Many times, the answer is no. How can I ask the Lord to direct my path if I am not first doing what He has asked of me? It is good to desire direction from the Lord, but we must not forget what he requests of us.
Lord, thank you for your mercies, and for your reminders, so that I may properly seek to receive desires in my heart that are in alignment with your will. Amen.
-Noah Babin