Delightful

Delightful.  That’s how I would describe her.  Her eyes are wide with wonder as she observes a butterfly. She squeals with excitement as she chases bubbles or snowflakes or puppies. She gives spontaneous hugs and randomly breaks out in song.

When I watch her, I understand why Jesus said, to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become like little children.  Children know how to take delight.

Lately, the Lord has been whispering a verse to me.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Sometimes when we become adults, we lose our sense of delight and wonder. Problems and obligations throw a wet blanket on the flame of our desires. We give up on dreams we once held dear, or we find satisfaction in the wrong things. But the Bible tells us we’re supposed to delight in the Lord. It says He will give us our heart’s desires.

My Life Application Study Bible says “to delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence.  This happens only when we know that person well.  So, to delight in the Lord, we must know him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight.”

I delight in the Lord when I’m aware of His Presence as I go through my day. I delight in the Lord when I set aside time to talk to Him and listen to Him speak to my heart in that still, small voice.

I delight in the Lord when I read and reread the love letters He’s given me in His Word.  If I linger long enough, I may be rewarded with one of those Ah-ha moments when the Scriptures seem to jump off the page and I gain a fresh insight. I find new reasons to praise. He puts a new song in my heart.

I delight in the Lord when I take time to appreciate Him. Little children take time to investigate the ordinary. But adults often take for granted the good gifts God bestows on us each day. We lose our sense of fascination with creation. As we delight in the Lord, we regain that sense of childlike wonder.  Every day can be a special occasion when we recognize the goodness of God in the messiness of life.

When we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart.

This phrase can be observed from two angles. When we spend time with Him, God places the appropriate desires in our hearts. He gives us a passion for the work He’s called us to do.  He sets our hearts on fire with a desire to live out our purpose. 

And, He fulfills our desires, the pure desires He places in our hearts. Sometimes He does that in unexpected ways, but if we come to Him with expectant hearts, waiting and watching, the Bible tells us that He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all we could ever hope or dream. (Ephesians 3:20)  

I can remember a time in my life when my heart was aching for something I desperately wanted. I pleaded with God. I cried. I fasted. Then, one day I realized that the thing I desired had become an idol. I’d elevated my heart’s desire above my relationship with God. When I finally yielded to His will and asked Him to do what was best, He gave me something better than I could have imagined.

What delights you?  Do you delight in God’s creation—the intricate details of a butterfly’s wing or the majesty of a mountain peak? Does the crashing of waves against a sandy beach fill you with praise for the One who created the shore and said to the ocean, “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!”? (Job 38:11) Or maybe you best sense His presence under a canopy of trees where all you hear are the crisp leaves skipping across the forest floor.

Do you find delight in knowing that no matter what kind of curve balls the world may pitch to you, God is always at your side, strengthening you, encouraging you, upholding you with His righteous right hand?(Isaiah 41:10) Does it delight you to know that you are loved with an everlasting love, and that no matter what tribulations you have in the world, He has overcome them all?

 Are there prayers that need answers, problems that need solving, passions that need fulfilling? The Bible tells us roll all of those over to Jesus and trust Him to give us what we need.

“Commit (literally, “roll”) your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

“Delighting” may look different for each of us. It may be an ongoing conversation that we have with Him as we go about our day. It may be a block of time in the morning, or at lunchtime, or in the evening that we set aside for just for Him. It may include a weekend away-- a Restore Retreat, for instance.

Let’s learn a lesson from little children and restore our sense of delight. We can find beauty and rejoicing in any season, at any age, when we’re living in close fellowship with God. When we delight in Him, He gives us what our hearts truly desire.

Delighting in Him,

Margaret

Here’s a -link to one of my favorite Twila Paris songs, “Delight My Heart.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgejOL1GxSs