Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
Every Christian parent has probably at some point encountered the question from their kid that is some version of “If God knows what’s going to happen, why do we pray?” Even as we do our best to try to address this question, recognizing that there are times in Scripture where God relents due to the petitions of His people, the appropriate response often boils down to “we pray because God tells us to.” If we are God’s children, we should desire to honor and obey Him, and He has told us to pray. Therefore, even if we cannot completely explain the interactions of God’s sovereignty, His omniscience, and our prayers, we continue to regularly put our petitions before Him, because that is what He has commanded us to do.
The corollary to this challenging question is addressing the times when we have faithfully prayed, and it appears that God has not given us the good things that we desire. It is not uncommon that when faced with a difficult situation, well-meaning people quote Psalm 37:4 and intimate that if we pray hard enough, God will give us what we want. If understanding why we pray when God already knows what is going to happen can cause someone to question God’s sovereignty, praying and not getting what we desire can sometimes cause people to question God’s faithfulness and love. After all, the thinking goes, “I know I prayed diligently. If God truly cared about me, He would give me what I want, especially because people have told me that’s what Scripture says!”
However, careful reading of Psalm 37:4 in context makes it clear that the Psalmist’s intention is not to set up some type of quid pro quo where if we pray sincerely and diligently enough, God is obligated to answer “yes” to our requests. Instead, in this Psalm, David is reflecting on how tempting it is to look at those who are not following God and yet appear to be prospering and think that something is wrong with the equation. Even though these individuals are doing things their own ways, and not God’s, their lives seem to be filled with all sorts of good things, all kinds of delight. In contrast, verse 4 teaches us that even though their earthly treasures may be few, it is those who pursue after God who truly get their heart’s desires for as they seek Him, He will be found (Jeremiah 29:13); He draws near to them as they draw near to Him (James 4:8). Their desire is for God, and God will be faithful to be with them.
The rest of the Psalm only makes this point clearer. David exhorts us to commit our way to God (v. 3), wait on God (v. 7), and trust in Him (v. 4). We shouldn’t run after the ways of the world thinking that in them, we will find satisfaction. Instead, we should find our fulfillment in Him alone. God will deal with the injustice and wickedness of this world; He will insure that in the end, the righteous receive their reward. He will secure their lasting peace and security in eternity with Him (v. 8-20)
When we make comparisons purely on temporal terms, it may seem that faithful obedience to God leaves the Christian being shortchanged. But this is not the comparison we should be making. Instead, when we evaluate our circumstances in light of eternity, there really is no comparison to be made. Whatever we lack now, will be more than compensated by the goodness and riches of Heaven. In the meantime, as we delight ourselves in God, our heart’s desire will be to find our joy, peace, comfort, and confidence in Him – and this is exactly what He promised to those who trust in Him and walk in His ways.
