“Delighting” in the Lord

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4, NASB)

As a young Believer I frequently came across this lovely little verse in devotional readings or encouraging material. It gave me such hope! I honestly thought that this verse was a quid pro quo promise. If I was just happy about God, He would give me what I wanted. Queue up Pherrell Williams’ song “Happy” and wait for what I wanted to materialize.

But God is NOT a candy machine in which you simply put the required money – or exhibit the correct behavior- and receive what you want. This verse had a deeper meaning and implications.

When I studied it further I learned that the Hebrew word translated “delight” also means to enjoy or to take pleasure. In addition, this verb is in the imperative tense. The imperative tense is a command, not an optional direction that we can choose to obey or ignore. So, we are commanded to enjoy The Lord.

Here’s the plain, fact of the matter: I cannot enjoy something that I don’t know or experience. Enjoyment is a personal, emotional experience.

But how do I “enjoy the Lord”?

To truly enjoy something I need to interact with it, to become familiar with it, to appreciate its forms and nuances. To enjoy God I needed get to know HIM.

So, I read God’s Story in Scripture. I went deep into the passages that show God’s relationship with His creation and with His People. I studied words in their original meaning and placed stories and passages in context so that I could understand the bigger picture. And as I did, I learned about God’s character, plans and purposes.

­          I learned that He is a God who makes promises through covenants, and who keeps His covenant promises.

­          I learned that He chose a people for Himself.

­          I learned that no matter how much His people failed, or how much we mess up, God continues to direct, to chasten, to forgive and to enable new beginnings.

­          I learned He is the God of infinite patience and infinite love.

­          I learned that He has a plan and purpose for my life.

­          I learned that His plans always come to pass.

I returned to Psalm 37 and studied the verse in context. I realized that reading this one verse alone takes it out of context from the rest of the passage. We never learn as much about God and His story when we zoom into just one verse as we do when we expand and look at the verses around it.

The first one third of Psalm 37 gives direction for the People of God on how to guard their heart and lives in specific ways:

­          Do not fret

­          Do not be envious

­          Trust in the Lord

­          Do good

­          Cultivate faithfulness

­          Delight in the Lord

­          Commit your way to the Lord

­          Rest in the Lord

­          Cease from anger and forsake wrath

These directions for living have promised results for obedience.

­          Evil doers will fade

­          God will give you the desires of your heart

­          God will do what He promises

­          God will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.

­          Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land.

­          The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip

When we study more than just one verse of Psalm 37 we learn of all the things that will enable us to delight in God Himself!

As I studied and grew in my relationship with God, I realized that I was delighted by God’s character, love and care. I was enjoying my relationship with God. As my enjoyment deepened, I sensed His presence through the ins and outs of my days. I became deeply aware of His presence every moment, and that brought great delight. I began a continual conversation with Him. I could feel His love for me. My love for Him grew deeply as well.

I enjoyed God continually.

In the process, God changed me. God’s focus, passions and desires became mine as well. My original desires were self focused and self fulfilling. God placed new desires in my heart. And He gave me a passion to pursue them. I have learned that when I find my true delight and joy in God, I do not desire things that are out of step with His own will and purposes. In turn, when I delight in God I find that I am so thoroughly melded into His will that I want only to ask in prayer for His will and plans.

I have experienced the fulfillment of Psalm 37:4. As I delighted in God, He placed desires in my heart that would never have been there without that delight. The deeper I go with God, the greater my enjoyment. As my delight in God grows, I am continually changed by my relationship with Him. He even sent me to seminary in my 50’s!

How do YOU delight in the Lord?