What should one desire from God? The scripture says that what God desires from us is a heart that does justly, loves mercy and is humble. Is there in this heart no room for wrath or vengeance? This psalm is very clear. Yes, there is room for these things. However, it is clear that these things fall in the hands of God. The psalmist notes the offenses and prays for appropriate outcomes, but these are informed outcomes. They are alighted upon the guilty by the nature of their crimes. The desire isn’t punitive retribution so much as equitable judgment. What one doesn’t forgets easily is that the crimes allotted against a finite humanity are crimes against an infinite god. The results would be necessarily much more severe. Here we see that it is acceptable for man to leave this truth in God’s hands. We see this interchange in Revelation, as martyrs cry out for God’s vengeance. They are not shunned or rebuked for doing so. This is a good desire. They are only told to wait upon God’s timing and not to trust him. He waits because he knows that more can be saved from the collateral damage that would ensue when he unleashes his rightful wrath upon the wicked. We also should cry out for his vengeance while waiting on his mercy.