Thursday: Learning to Take Delight in the Lord
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4, NRSV).
Psalm 37:4 is a wonderful promise. Imagine getting what you have always wanted. But getting the desires of our hearts hinges on having a heart that takes delight in the Lord. So what does it mean to “take delight in the LORD”?
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
Read Psalm 37:1-11. The context for Psalm 37:4 is perhaps a little surprising. David is writing about being surrounded by people who are working against God and against him. When people are working against us, the natural response is often to get angry or to set out to justify ourselves. But David advises something different.
In the following verses, what is David’s counsel to God’s people in this situation?
Read Psalm 37:4 again. In the context of the verses you have just made comments on, what does it mean to “take delight in the LORD”?
David is repeating again and again, in different ways, “Trust God.” Trust Him to act. Don’t get upset, because God is your God, and He is working for you — even right now. You don’t have to charge in and try to sort things out by yourself. Your Father in heaven is in charge. Trust Him. Trust Him completely.
It is in this context that David writes about taking delight in the Lord. To take delight in God means that we live in a state of perfect trust. Nothing can ruffle our peace, because God is here and at work. We can praise Him, we can even smile, because no one can outwit our God! When we can learn to do this, we really will receive what our hearts long for, because we will receive what our loving Father wants to give us, at the time that most benefits us and His kingdom.
| How can you learn to “take delight in the LORD”? Spend some time in prayer, seeking God’s guidance in how this may become a reality in your life. |
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The coastline around our area, north of Sydney is characterised by sandstone cliffs. Sure, we have the white sandy beaches that Eastern Australia is famous for, but those beaches are made of ground-up sandstone rocks. One of my favourite pastimes is to walk along some of the coastal tracks and see the huge unfettered Pacific waves surging and pounding against the cliffs. The cliffs bear the marks of the battle. Weathered hollows glow golden ochre in the rising sun. Tessellated rock platforms puzzle observers with their repeated patterns. Basalt dikes punctuate the cliffs with their striking black perpendicularity.
The coastline is a record of a vast battle between the sea, the weather, the wind, vulcanism, and the rocks. It is a strangely beautiful place. On the one hand, you see evidence of the conflict, and at the same time, you experience the beauty that the conflict has created. Beauty out of conflict.
Among my friends, there are those who, like Sydney Sandstone, have weathered the conflict between good and evil and who are all the more beautiful because of it. The patina of the battle has lined their faces and furrowed their brow, but the warmth of their Christian love shines through. They are my "go to" people when the conflict rages around and within me. They are unfazed by the weather and unmoved in the storm. They can sing meaningfully:
I know of many couples where one party gets 'delight' from visiting a tool or auto parts shop - the other party does not. When you delight in something, what is it about both you and the thing you delight in that enables or produces delight? It will likely be because that thing aligns with what you are 'interested' in.
Keeping this idea of alignment of interest in mind, what is about the Lord that will foster delight in our heart? When the interests of our heart is aligned with the interests of God's heart. And what, in essence, are the interests of God's heart? As 1 John 4:7 notes, the core dynamic of God's heart is "love" (Greek: Agape). From a functional perspective, this genuine and pure form of love is beneficence - existing to authentically benefit all others (eg John 15:13; Philippians 2:1-8). When you are interested in living to genuinely benefit others, your heart will delight in the Lord because you are united in the same core interest. This is also what it means to be one with God (John 17:11,21).
2 Corinthians 3:18 informs us of an unavoidable, inherent principle - by beholding we will/do become changed. Therefore, if we like David (Psalm 51:10) are responding to the Spirit's drawing and wanting to have hearts that align with the core dynamic of God's heart, what do you think we will need to focus on (Psalm 63:1-6, and hence Philippians 4:8)?
Thank you, Phil, for that inspiring list of texts:
1 John 4:7; John 15:13; Philippians 2:1-8; John 17:11,21; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Psalm 51:10; Psalm 63:1-6; Philippians 4:8.
They make my soul rejoice!
To take delight in the Lord is to learn how to live a life of trust in Him, because one is doing what the Lord has planned for him or her! Doing the will of God may not always bring good feelings, for sorrows and frustrations may hit everyone, but doing the will of God is to run for Him every time that blidness seems to strike... and perhaps, besides all the pain this world may present, to take delight in the Lord be to voluntarily close the eyes completely and let Him guide all the way!
What a wonderful song of trust Psalm 37 is! It reminds me also of one of my favorite Bible texts, Nehemiah 8:10. That declaration of "The joy of the Lord is your strength!" also arose from the midst of difficult circumstances. (I suggest reading the context, if you don't remember it.)
It's a matter of focus: When we choose to focus on the goodness of God and all He has done for us, we will, indeed, rejoice in the Lord. And that joy and rejoicing will be our strength - our strength in trial and our strength in witnessing to the character of God. (Also see Jer. 15:16)
Perhaps it is no accident that the "joy" passages in the Bible are found amidst difficult circumstances. It is in such circumstances that our hearts more often turn to the Lord. And then He can fill us with joy. (Also see Paul's letter to the Philippians, which has more mentions of "rejoice" than any other similar amount of text in the Bible.)
Do we learn to delight in the Lord or is delighting in the Lord a gift? I am sure you know now what I am thinking of. "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." Philippians 2:13 NLT.
I suppose I could translate "For God is working in you" to For God is teaching in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
Absolutly not nagating the point of today's lesson. He give us our hearts desire I do believe if that desire is in tune with His pleasure.
In tune with the lesson this week further down in Palms 37 David says. "Wait for and expect the Lord and keep and heed His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; [in the end] when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
Psalm 37:34 AMPC
Is not inheriting heaven our hearts desire. In the interm we are to be a faithful witness of His love. Another aspect of His pleasure.
From an african perspective, how do i delight in the Lord in poverty