Some promises seem too good to be true. Consider the following example:

Take delight in the Lord,
     and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4 NIV)

During the years of waiting for a husband (you can read about this here), people often quoted this Scripture to encourage me. The underlying logic asserts if I stay faithful to the Lord, He will give me what my heart desires.

May I confess? I struggle with this ideology. Especially because through experience I know He doesn’t give me everything I want. To be fair, I’ve often heard people teach that God, as our Father, will only grant our desires if they are good for us.

Although this line of reasoning makes more sense, it doesn’t quite satisfy. I don’t see qualifiers in the above promise. It doesn’t say, He will give me the desires of my heart, but only when they are good for me. And as a graduate from the school of hard knocks, I know sinful desires can also be granted, even while maintaining a faithful relationship with the Lord.

But contrary to logic, life experiences have taught me the beautiful truth embedded in this promise.

For example, I recently attended my first Writers’ Conference. As part of the experience, I pitched a book idea to two publishing agents. Three months later, one of them requested a full book proposal.

Because I personally connected with this agent, I prayed for a contract to work with her. But after six months, her publishing house decided to pass on my project.

Looking back, I know every step of that nine-month journey resulted from prayer. I obediently followed the direction the Lord gave me. Yet it didn’t end with the publishing contract I desired.

So how does this fit in with Psalm 37:4?

When reading this verse, I tend to focus on the promise found in the second half. Unfortunately, this perspective leads me to believe my heart’s desire is guaranteed. Even worse, it can almost equate delighting in the Lord as a means to get what I want.

But when I focus on the first half of this verse, taking delight in the Lord becomes my target. It reminds me of the advice given by the author of Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2a NIV)

For me, delighting in the Lord means throwing off all distractions and keeping my eyes fixed on the goal of becoming like Jesus. When I do this, one of two things happen.

Sometimes He gives me the desires of my heart, as He did the day I became a wife and mother. Other times He subtly transforms my heart’s desires so they align with His.

After facing the initial disappointment over the failed book contract, I did some soul searching.

I realized at first I only wanted that book contract. But somewhere along the journey my heart changed. Sharing the message He gave me became more important. Soon publishing options aligning with my new heart’s desire began to materialize.

When I test the Lord’s promise by faithfully taking delight in Him, He gives me the desires of my heart. But not always in the way I anticipated.

Wherever you are in your journey, I pray you can test the good promises of the Lord and find them to be true~even those that seem too good.