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“I delight greatly in the LORD.”
We delight in ice cream and Saturdays and free time with friends. We delight in finishing a project, unexpected financial gains, and opening the front door to see our Amazon package has arrived. We delight in peaceful family gatherings, meaningful chats over tasty food, and moments with deep belly laughter. In these things, we take pleasure.
We also delight in the power of answered prayers, even more, when the answers exceed what we had imagined. We delight in times when our eyes are opened to see how things are working out for good from a spiritual perspective. We delight in using our Spirit-empowered gifts and having the Creator of the Universe work through us. In these things, we are deeply satisfied.
We delight in reading God’s Word and meditating on a verse that speaks to our heart’s cry. We delight in spending time with God thanking Him and praising Him throughout our day. We delight in gathering with others to worship God and serve Him, knowing we make a difference. Ehhhh…. insert shoulder shrug emoji – Do we truly take pleasure and gain deep satisfaction in these things?
“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” Isaiah 61:10, NIV.
We have an endless stream of consciousness. Our brain is constantly running, whether asleep or awake. Like our fingers control the clicks on our devices, we, too, control the direction of our thoughts.
It is one thing to click on the fact that God delights in us (Psalm 18:19), but to stand on the other side of the room and analyze who or what I delight in feels like an intrusion of my mind.
Could it be why we don’t spend time delighting in the Lord is because we haven’t taken the time to click on the many wonders, the character, the God behind the names?
How do we not only delight in the Lord but “delight greatly,” as stated in the verse above?
“I delight greatly in the LORD;” (NIV)
“I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!” (NLT)
“I will rejoice greatly in the LORD;” (ESV)
“I celebrate and shout because of my LORD God.” (CEV)
“I will find joy in the LORD.” (GW)
We need to know the God we worship and to whom we have committed our life.
Know that the Creator of the universe is:
A Silencer of enemies (Psalm 8:2).
Strong and Mighty (Psalm 24:8).
Gives strength and peace (Psalm 29:11).
A refuge is present during our trouble and helps us (Psalm 46).
Hears and answers prayers (Psalm 65:5).
His promises are complete and reliable (Psalm 93:5, AMP).
Beautiful, majestic, and excellent (Psalm 96:6).
Righteous and just (Psalm 97:2).
Protects (Psalm 97).
Forgives (Psalm 99).
This is a tiny list from a few verses from a few chapters in the Psalms compared to the enormous list one could make from cover to cover of the Bible.
Asaph, the author of Psalm 77, begins with a 100% negative cry out to God, complete with a trip down “remember when” things were better. It is the spiral down we experience when our mind begins to fixate on the undesirable circumstances. It is like a vacuum; our thoughts are pulled with great force into a canister with layers of dusty thoughts reinforcing our case.
Midway through the Psalm, Asaph makes a deliberate decision to turn the vacuum off. He takes the mouse and clicks on something that takes his thoughts in a 180-degree spin. “I call to mind the deeds of the LORD” (Psalm 77:11, NRSV).
Asaph tells himself,
“I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds. You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.” Psalms 77:11-12, 14 NRSV
Asaph recalls specifically the deeds God had done and the impact made when God is at work. This delighting in God, who He is, what He has done, and what He can do influences Asaph’s mindset. “Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen” (Psalms 77:19 NRSV).
When clicking on the magnitude of our God, our perception is sure to be altered. Taking time to think about, find pleasure in who God is and what He is capable of reminded Asaph that sometimes God’s way is through the pain. God is with us even if we can’t see Him.
What would happen if we discovered the art of delighting in God? Take one day, set reminders on your phone, have a list of Characteristics of God and how He has been faithful in your life, and experiment with “delighting greatly” in God.
“I will find joy in the LORD” (GW). Learning to delight in the LORD is one click away.
Meditation: I delight in You, Jesus
Reflect: Have you ever considered delighting in the LORD? If yes, what does that look like for you? If not, what has kept you from it? Ask God to help your recall the times He has been faithful to work on your behalf and make a list. What is the thing(s) that is occupying most of your thoughts? How can you remind yourself to click away from those thoughts and onto thoughts that take delight in God?
Digging Deeper: Pick two or three or more of these Psalms (Psalm 8, 24, 29, 46, 65, 93, 96, 97, and 99) and make a list of characteristics of God as you read it. Which characteristic of God do you need most in your life right now?
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(Bible References: NRSV – New Revised Standard Version, NIV – New International Version, CEV – Contemporary English Version, NLT – New Living Translation, GW – God’s Word, ESV – English Standard Version)