Delighting in God

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Surveys consistently show that the vast majority of Americans believe in God. In some surveys, nine out of ten Americans profess such belief. But how many of those who say they believe in God can also say they delight in God? Not many, I suspect.

For the average nominal believer, God is mostly irrelevant, except in times of crisis or great need. And even among those who devoutly believe, delight in God is all too rare. For many, God is more a cause of anxious concern than delight, as they struggle with unresolved guilt and premonitions of judgment.

What does it mean, then, to delight in God? Delighting in God means enjoying God’s presence. It means that duties such as prayer, reading the Word, and worship are not really duties at all, but pleasures. It means that doing the will of God is not burdensome but food and drink for the soul.

Best of all, when we delight in God, God delights in us and is pleased grant us the desires of our heart.

Such delight is itself a gift from God, the sweet fruit of his Spirit at work within us. By his grace may we move beyond mere belief to holy delight in the Lord.

Beyond mere belief to holy delight!