Delight Yourself in the Lord–but Why?

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give to you the desires of your heart,” says Psalm 37:4-6.

What does that mean?

It starts with the definitions, of course.

What is delight?

Delight is an emotion that distinguishes itself with fun words and, often, actions.

Cognates include:

“Amuse, bliss, charm, ecstasy, elate, enchant, enjoy, enrapture, entertain, gladden, glee, happiness, joy, jubilation, mirth, pleasure, rejoice, thrill, wow.”

The Flip Dictionary

It provokes movement and often overwhelming feelings.

It does not sit still in a black bonnet on its head with hands neatly clasped, in a sedentary lap.

No, delight leaps to its feet, shouts and sings, twirls a few times, and laughs.

Abandoned? Maybe. But you really don’t care.

What makes you feel that way?

The Lord?

Maybe some of us shouldn’t start with Him.

So, who? Or what?

For a variety of reasons, I had muted emotions. I kept them in a narrow lane and only allowed them to overflow with laughter. The concept of joy eluded me, but I managed just fine.

One day, however, my son’s band teacher lent me an oboe.

I’d never been allowed to play the oboe, “reeds are too expensive,” my parents said.

Instead, I played the clarinet–a lovely instrument (which I still play), but it lacks the unusual reedy sound of an oboe.

I love that sound (particularly if it’s in a Mozart concerto.)

But during a band parent meeting, I happened to ask him if he had an extra oboe not being used.

“Yes. Would you like to borrow it?”

As I drove home with the instrument beside me, a bubbly, excited, happy, dare I say, joyous, feeling erupted.

I could hardly wait to get there. I had a reed, I didn’t know anything about the oboe, but I wanted to try, so very much.

The first attempts were not good, but the joy–that was the emotion!–drove me to play, and sway, and to savor.

I took a lesson, read the books, and eventually could play.

“I’ll buy you an oboe,” my husband volunteered.

The instrument felt so different in my hand: light and lithe.

But, I can control my clarinet’s tone, but not keep the oboe in tune.

After six months I returned it to the generous bandleader, thankful for the opportunity.

The instrument is delightful.

Have you felt delight?

Yes.

It bubbles and laughs, sings and dances.

My family put up with the out-of-tune notes–because they saw how happy it made me play.

How do I transfer that feeling to the Lord?

Who is the Lord?

Creator of the Universe.

Redeemer of the World.

First and Last (Alpha and Omega in Greek).

Lover of my soul. Yours, too.

The Spirit moving where He will.

And so forth.

He gives meaning to life, joy in events and relationships, and loves us.

The Lord delights when we follow His will, His commandments, His love, to wherever He leads us.

Indeed, variations of the word and concept appear 265 times in the Old and New Testaments.

King David explains all in Psalm 37.

The pertinent parts of Psalm 37 are from verses 3 through 7a:

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37 English Standard Version

Look at those verbs: trust, do good, dwell, befriend faithfulness, delight, commit, be still.”

Those are actions people can take to get to know God better.

“The reason many apparent Christians do not delight in God is that they do not know him very well, and the reason they do not know him very well is that they do not spend time with him.” (Modern pastor James M. Boice)

In knowing Him, His character, His behavior, we can better appreciate Him, leading to delight.

How do you get to know someone well?

By spending time with that person.

What is the result?

Charles Spurgeon:

“They said of Martin Luther as he walked the streets, ‘There comes a man that can have anything of God he likes.’ You ask the reason of it. Because Luther delighted himself in his God.”

Charles Spurgeon: “Sunshine in the Heart.”

How do I delight in the Lord?

Usually through gratitude, choosing to give thanks in all things looking for how God is at work.

Today, though, as I sat outside in the golden California sunshine, listening to a tinkling fountain, hearing a bird call, and feeling the breeze rustling the tree leaves, I thought of another way.

I kicked off my sandals, stepped onto the grass, and danced.

King David would have been proud.

Not of my form, oh no.

But, because I danced.

When was the last time you danced in delight before your Creator?

Why not try it soon?

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