Ask With the Right Heart
"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires." - Psalm 37:4
There is something powerful about desire when it is anchored in the right place. The promise in Psalm 37 is clear. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. But don’t miss that first part. The order matters. Delight in Him first, then He gives. Not the other way around.
We live in a world that tells us to chase what we want. But God invites us to chase Him instead. When your joy is found in Him, when your purpose is rooted in who He is, something beautiful happens. Your desires start to change. You stop asking for what simply feels good and start asking for what brings Him glory. You stop praying small, selfish prayers and start praying bold, kingdom-minded ones.
Jesus talked about this too. He said, “Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” But He also warned us not to ask with the wrong motives. James 4 reminds us that some prayers go unanswered because they’re rooted in selfish desires. God isn’t ignoring us. He’s loving us enough to say no when our ask would pull us away from His will.
What does that mean for us today? It means we ask. It means we bring our desires to Him, but we do it from a place of trust and surrender. We say, Lord, this is what I want, but I want You more. We let our prayers be shaped by His Word, not just our wishes. And when He answers, whether it’s yes, no, or wait, we trust that His answer is better than anything we could force on our own.
Maybe you’ve been hesitant to ask. Maybe you’ve been praying with your guard up. Drop the fear. Drop the pride. Just ask. But ask with a heart that says, Lord, I want what You want for me. Because when your delight is in Him, your desires will lead you exactly where He wants you to be.
There is something powerful about desire when it is anchored in the right place. The promise in Psalm 37 is clear. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. But don’t miss that first part. The order matters. Delight in Him first, then He gives. Not the other way around.
We live in a world that tells us to chase what we want. But God invites us to chase Him instead. When your joy is found in Him, when your purpose is rooted in who He is, something beautiful happens. Your desires start to change. You stop asking for what simply feels good and start asking for what brings Him glory. You stop praying small, selfish prayers and start praying bold, kingdom-minded ones.
Jesus talked about this too. He said, “Ask, and it will be given. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened.” But He also warned us not to ask with the wrong motives. James 4 reminds us that some prayers go unanswered because they’re rooted in selfish desires. God isn’t ignoring us. He’s loving us enough to say no when our ask would pull us away from His will.
What does that mean for us today? It means we ask. It means we bring our desires to Him, but we do it from a place of trust and surrender. We say, Lord, this is what I want, but I want You more. We let our prayers be shaped by His Word, not just our wishes. And when He answers, whether it’s yes, no, or wait, we trust that His answer is better than anything we could force on our own.
Maybe you’ve been hesitant to ask. Maybe you’ve been praying with your guard up. Drop the fear. Drop the pride. Just ask. But ask with a heart that says, Lord, I want what You want for me. Because when your delight is in Him, your desires will lead you exactly where He wants you to be.
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