All of My Delight

 

Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you Your heart’s desires.
 Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the LORD and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Psalms 37:3-7;23-24 NLT

 

We serve a good, good Father. He will not abandon us or leave us empty. His plans for us are good and filled with blessings.  I love the passage above. It reminds me to trust, depend, and rely on the LORD to care for me. I belong to Him and He will never let me down.  I love that the LORD delights in every detail of our lives. He knows everything but yet he still is overjoyed at every detail. As we rejoice in the LORD, He transforms our hearts, and His desires for us become our desires. He transforms our appetite as we delight in Him and causes us to crave holiness.  Are you overcome with anxiety and fear? Fret not! The LORD is working on your behalf.  Be still before Him and wait patiently for Him to act. He is near. He is fighting for you and He always wins.

What are some practical ways in which we can delight in the LORD?

1.       Firstly, we can come to him in prayer and ask Him to help us to delight in Him. We can ask Him to give us an insatiable appetite for His presence, for His Word. We can ask Him to change our hearts and minds to want more and more of Him. We can ask Him to mold us and shape us into who He wants us to be.  Let us be honest in prayer. God will meet us where we are. He wants us to draw near to Him. He promises to draw near to us. He loves and wants what is best for us. Ultimately, a close relationship with God through Christ is what is best for us. God is love. He nourishes our empty souls and gives us rest.

2.       We can spend time in the Word. We can start our day with scripture. We can look to God’s word for encouragement, wisdom, guidance, and correction. The Word of God is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword ( Hebrews 4:12). God has revealed himself in His word. God’s word is the primary way in which we can discern His voice. God has recorded promises for us in His word. Reading the Bible is like reading a passionate love letter from God to us, His children. The more we spend time with the Word of God, the more we will be enamored with God himself. We will see his heart for us, and His plans which are good and not evil. He desires to give us a future and a hope( Jeremiah 29:11).

3.       We can spend time in praise and worship. Praise transforms our perspective. It takes the focus off of us and our problems and places it on the Creator, the solution to all of our distress. When we worship God for who He is amid our difficulties, we begin to realize that God is still good even if we feel that we are in the center of calamity. Let us sing songs of thanksgiving to God. Let us sing songs of praise. Praise reminds us of the character of God. Worship reorients our minds and hearts to the beauty of our Savior.

4.       We can spend time in creation. Psalm 19:1 NLT  says: The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Spending time in nature compels me to be still and know that God is God( Psalms 46:10). Spending time in nature leads me to worship the Creator of the beautiful sky, trees, and flowers.  The same God who created the great mountains created me and has a plan for me. He is  the Supreme Designer. He is the Grand Artist.

We were created to worship God. We were created to delight ourselves in Him. Let us worship Him for who He is and not just what He can give us. As we delight ourselves in God, we begin to realize that He is the Ultimate Gift. His Presence changes everything. He transforms parched hearts. He satisfies every thirst with His living water.  The more we immerse ourselves in Christ, the more we will grow in His likeness. He will give us a heart of flesh, a heart that is tender and responsive to Him. So, let us delight ourselves in Him. Let us rejoice at the thought of meeting with our Savior. He is the source of all hope, joy, love, and peace.

 

…All my fountains are in You.

Psalm 87:7