You have granted him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. – Psalm 21:2

Today's Scripture Reading (August 9, 2025): Psalm 20 & 21

She called me often. Usually, she talked, or more often yelled, while I listened. I never did meet her in the flesh, and maybe that was for the better. She had her list of complaints, prayer requests, and sometimes, I just thought she just needed someone to hear her. The problem was that over the years I knew her, I patiently listened, but the content of our conversation hadn't changed since our first phone call.

Part of her problem was that she felt that God had promised her the desires of her heart. She believed that she wasn't asking for much, but God wasn't giving her even her most humble requests, let alone her more extravagant desires. And while she was asking the question why, I don't think she ever really wanted an answer to that question. I could have told her some of the reasons why I believed her prayers weren't being answered, starting with the fact that her prayers tended to be very selfish. However, when I had attempted a similar response, it only lengthened our conversations and increased the vulgarity of her language.

David writes this Psalm in the third person. The "him" and "his" refer first to David, but then to possibly all of the Kings that followed him. As a result, this Psalm can be a little confusing to read. It is also a Psalm of thanksgiving for all that God had already done for the King, as well as a prayer for all that God would do in the future for David and all of his descendants. And David admits that God has already given him the desires of his heart and that God has not withheld anything from him. It is a prayer that would make my phone friend even angrier because these things had not been given to her. But part of the difference was that David had conformed his heart to God's in the moments when his prayers were answered, rather than expecting God to conform to David's selfish wants.

My friend wouldn't want to hear this, but when our prayers remain unanswered, we should treat it as a warning sign that something is wrong with our lives. There is something that God desires from us that is missing in our daily journey with Him. Maybe we need to pray more or be less selfish with our actions. Perhaps we need to spend more time in the Bible or pay attention to the sin in our lives. It is possible that we have not given God the thanks that he deserves in all of the ways that he has answered our prayers and taken care of us. If our prayers are unanswered, something likely needs to change in us. And that is a change to which we must be willing to commit.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 22