Learning how to delight in the Lord, delighting in God, is one of the most beautiful privileges of the Christian life.
In recent weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet some readers of our blog on WhatsApp.
Interestingly, most of their questions are related to issues of God’s will, changes in life, romantic relationships, among others.
Those conversations remind us that we are all children of God with similar challenges, fears, and joys.
They remind us that we are not alone in our spiritual struggle.
Inspired by those conversations, and my own experience, I have begun to think about what it means to live with Christ.
I have come to the conclusion that delighting in the Lord is the ultimate experience of the Christian life.
For this reason, I would like to share with you an in-depth and interesting Bible study and devotional on this important topic.
Hebrew meaning for Delight yourself in the Lord
The word delight in Hebrew means a very intense pleasure, deeply satiating or satisfying.
Delight is a verb, whose meaning is to produce pleasure.
Delighting in God, therefore, means enjoying God in a real way in all areas of our lives. Experiencing spiritual delight in him, his love, and his company.
A true delight in God leads us to prioritize what God wants for us, before what we want for ourselves.
An additional possible meaning for the Hebrew word for delight is “softness and tenderness.”
This allows us to understand that the concept of how to delight in the Lord requires having a close and intimate relationship with Him.
What does it mean to delight in God?
It is in Psalm 37 that we find the expression “delight yourself in the Lord”, in some versions “delight yourself in the Lord”, and in others, “delight yourself in the Lord”.
Let’s look at the verse in particular:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to Jehovah, and trust in him; and he will.
Psalm 37: 3- 5
Delight yourself in the Lord, according to the bible, means to enjoy discovering more about God, knowing him and doing his will.
In this way, the Holy Spirit adjusts the desires of our hearts to conform to those of God, which allows us to obtain the blessings that he wants to give us.
Usually, we humans like to do things our way, that’s why when we decide to follow God, we often ask the wrong question.
What must I do to attain eternal life? Like the rich young ruler.
However, with God it is not so.
In our Christian life, before doing a number of things, the first thing to seek is to delight in the Lord.
How do I delight myself in God?
Today, while reading my Bible, I found a word that caught my attention: “delights”.
I discovered it in the following psalm:
You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; delicacies at your right hand forever.
Psalm 16:11
This verse expresses what the Christian experience should be, fullness, joy, delight, spiritual delight in God.
Motivated by this idea, we would like to share with you some tips on how to delight in God so that you can apply them in your daily life.
#1 Do not focus on the problems
The first step to delighting in God is to focus on the good things God does for us and not the bad.
That we can delight in God does not mean that there are no problems, losses or sadness; but we understand that our loving father is with us even in those difficulties.
It is then that we find something that we all want; fullness of joy
The best way to stop worrying about problems and delight in God is to take your eyes off difficulties and fix them on Christ.
Jesus is the true source of a believer’s delight.
#2 Do not try to delight in the things of this world
The second piece of advice for delighting in God is to prioritize spiritual and transcendent things in your life, instead of vain and earthly things.
How many times have we gone after the latest cell phone, a better job, a trip, a career or a person, trying to find a sense of wholeness and joy in this life?
The reality is that when we do that we always end up disappointed, because it is God who gives us joy and shows us the way to a true experience of life with purpose.
#3 Experience God in nature and simple things
The third step to delight in God is to enjoy God through his creation and the little joys of life.
When we contemplate creation and take a deep breath and say: thank you Lord, because you prepared all this for me, we are delighting in God.
When we hug a loved one, we can close our eyes and say: thank you Lord, because in this hug I can delight in you.
It is even possible to relate the word delight to something very common, for example: think of your favorite ice cream.
Now remember that time when you stopped consuming it for a few weeks and then on a hot afternoon, you bought it and tasted it while it melted in your mouth.
At that time you can delight in God also by giving thanks.
That’s how real our experience with God can be if we put our minds to it.
#4 Acknowledge God as a reality in your life
The fourth tip for delighting in God is to see God not as an idea, but as a real person with whom we can relate closely.
Don’t let God become something ethereal in your life, integrate him into everything you do as if he were your best partner and friend.
The psalmist tells us:
Taste, and see that he is good Jehovah; blessed is the man who trusts in him.
| Psalm 34:8
There have been times in my life when I have not seen how good Jehovah is and how happy there is with him.
Times when I’ve been so focused on what I should or shouldn’t do, that I’ve forgotten to really enjoy his presence.
Circumstances in which God has become a philosophy, a concept, but not a reality, and I have come to feel empty, without direction or purpose.
However, when I have opened my heart and asked for his help to see his love, I have found response and happiness.
I know that my experience is not an isolated case.
#5 Trust God despite your fears and circumstances
The fifth step to delight in God is that you don’t let your fears and difficulties prevent you from trusting God.
Ask God to allow you to delight in Him without your worries breaking your trust in Him. We can’t always control the voices in our minds, but God is always willing to help us.
By reading the entire thirty-fourth psalm, I can identify with the psalmist.
He cried out to God and God answered him, he was delivered from his fears, and even though he was in affliction, he trusted that God would save him.
Furthermore, regardless of the circumstances, Jehovah’s angel was with him, because he trusted in God.
#6 Cultivate your relationship with God
The sixth piece of advice, and perhaps the most important for delighting in God, is to nurture and nurture a close, intimate relationship with God.
Being a Christian can be delightful, and as real as eating ice cream or enjoying a sunset, precisely because God wants a relationship with us.
God wants us to know him better and surrender everything that binds us to this world, to walk by faith and thus our day to day will be a blessing.
By having a close relationship with God we can really enjoy life, even give our best in our work, no matter how stressful it is, be better children, parents or colleagues.
Not to please others, but to enjoy the path that God has shown to us.
Some ideas on how you can delight in God while cultivating a relationship with Him are as follows:
– Delight in God’s unconditional love for you
– Delight in God’s mercy and compassion
– Delight in the word of God
– Delight in the character of God
– Delight in God’s presence and worship
– Delight in the help that God gives you daily
Conclusion
All human beings want to be happy, but we look for happiness in things of this world that cannot give it to us.
By delighting in the Lord, we fulfill the purpose for which we were created and become truly happy.
If you are in first love with God, do not let your flame go out and “set fire” to others with that passion for Christ, so that they too can find fulfillment.
On the contrary, if you are a Christian who has lost his way and simply has a title, it is time to wake up and live a delicious life.
It is time to ask Christ Jesus, our advocate, friend, to revive us and help us find joy and fulfillment in Him.
My advice in the case that you want to go deeper into this important topic is that you read the book: Delighting in God by A.W. Tozer.
I am sure you will find our post on How to Know God More Deeply very relevant and useful to the topic.
Tell us about yourself. Has your Christian life been a delight? Have you experienced fulfillment in Christ?
A hug, God bless you.
I’m glad to have found your post! It helped me where I am.
Hi Kristian, Praise the Lord we could be of help. Thank you for taking time to comment. God bless you!