The English “delight” means a “high degree of enjoyment or joy” and the exact opposite of “distress.” The Hebrew word, “anag,” is used here for delight in Psalm 37:4, and it has the connotation of ‘being pliable,’ and to be happy about or take exquisite delight in something. The Psalmist in 37:4 is likening our attitude and feelings about Yehovah (the LORD) to something so wonderful we’d mold ourselves to His liking, and be most intensely grateful and happy to do it! And once that stipulation is met…He will give us the desires of our heart. God is NOT some ‘genie in a bottle’ you get to demand wishes from. He’s holy and He’s awesome and He loves us so much He gave His one and only Son so that if anyone repents from sin (transgressing His instructions, 1 John 3:4) and wants to come into His Kingdom—we will be welcomed.
The only way the desires of our hearts can be trusted or in any way be for our good are when our hearts are transformed by Yeshua. What if we really love Him with all of our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 22:37) and because of His incredible love for us, we lay down our own desires, we lay down our lives because Jesus (Yeshua) laid down His life for us, and when we come into agreement with Him over what our sin is, when we turn from that sin and from the stains of the world (James 1:27) then our hearts are transformed. Ezekiel 36:26-27 talks about our hearts of stone being turned to hearts of flesh and the LORD’s Spirit filling us so that we WANT to keep His instructions. Jeremiah 17:9 says the human heart is deceitful above all things–but in contrast, a transformed heart is one the LORD (Yehovah) fills. The transformed heart’s desires can be trusted, because a transformed heart results from a life surrendered to & delighting in the LORD Yehovah Himself. How can you take more delight in Him today?