Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Whenever I’ve heard teaching or preaching on this verse, the emphasis has always been on the second half. We’re taught that this verse isn’t a blank check for whatever our hearts might want. Instead, as we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires we ought to have. The better we know Him and delight in Him, the more our desires will align with His.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the first part of the verse explained–unless I have forgotten it. It seems to be assumed that we know what it means to delight in something.

And we do. “Delight” carries the connotation of pleasure and joy. We delight in people–a husband, child, grandchild, or friend. We might take pleasure in a special gift, heirloom, or a just-right or longed-for purchase. We take joy in special occasions–graduation, wedding days, dinner with friends.

But do we take joy in God?

We’re often thankful for our salvation, answered prayer, the beauty of creation, and many other gifts from God. And that’s good.

But do we delight in Him?

Here are some ways that are a help to me–perhaps they will be to you, too.

Delight in God’s Word.

The Bible is the primary way God speaks to us in our day. There will be times our Bible reading might seem a little dry, but God promises “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The more we read the Bible with a heart to know God, the more we’ll delight in it, and then in Him. Psalm 119 calls God’s Word a delight ten different times.

Aside from specific study, have you ever opened the Bible to find exactly what you needed for the moment? Fellow blogger Nancy Ruegg calls this experience Bible Hugs. I don’t know how many times I have been pondering a question, issue, or need, and my scheduled Bible reading for the day addressed the very thing I was thinking about.. That makes me feel so seen and loved by my Father.

One quick example: I was in the hospital thirty years ago undergoing tests for what would eventually be diagnosed as transverse myelitis. I was scheduled for an MRI, which was fairly new at the time. Any medical personnel who came into my room asked me if I was claustrophobic. I wasn’t sure–I had never been in a position that would cause me to feel claustrophobia. But their questions were making me that way! They explained that some people are bothered by being surrounded by the MRI machine and having to be still through the somewhat lengthy scan. They could give me something to relax me for it, but would need to know if I wanted it early enough to order it and then for it to be administered in time.

That day, the reading in my Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional was full of verses about stillness, like, “Sit still, my daughter,” “Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted,: “Be still, and know that I am God,” “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, ” “Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still,” “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” Those calmed my heart. I recited them to myself while in the MRI machine and even dozed off.

Study God’s attributes.

At first, that might sound like a dry academic pursuit. Instead, such a study leads to worship and joy.

As an example, a friend and I are studying God’s attributes in None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us and Why That’s a Good Thing by Jen Wilkin.

The first chapter deals with God’s infinity. Jen points out that it is impossible to measure Him in any way. David says “his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). Solomon said the highest heaven could not contain God (1 Kings 8:27).

God Himself measures the waters, the heavens, and the mountains, but “Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord?” (Isaiah 40:12-13).

God’s greatness inspires awe and worship, but also fear. What might a God that big do to us? Does He even notice us or care about us?

Yes, Jen says. He knows the number of our hairs (Luke 12:7). He measures our sorrows and tears (Psalm 56:8). He measures our sins, yet “his immeasurable grace exceeds them” (Romans 4:7-8; 5:20).

When I read this book the first time, I was amazed how meditating on God’s attributes increased my faith: “God can take care of anything! What do I have to worry about?” But learning about Him more deeply also spilled over into love for Him and delight in Him.

Mardi Collier had a similar experience as a result of Bible study. She and her husband, Ken, served at The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center in various capacities for years (at one time, he was the president). When she talked with her husband about wanting to know God better, he suggested she start in the psalms and make note of every verse that said something about God. She made a notebook and started a new page every time she saw a new attribute of God, adding to each page as she found other verses. Her study expanded to the rest of the Bible. That project eventually became a book: What Do I Know About My God?

So as we read the Bible, we don’t just get through the scheduled reading for the day: we look for God. What does the passage say about God? But we don’t just read it academically. We read it personally.

Remember what God has done.

Psalm 150:2 tells us to “Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!” We marvel at God’s hand throughout history as we read the Bible. Not only does He demonstrate His wisdom and ability in leading and providing for and protecting His often unappreciative people, He also shows His love and compassion for them.

But God didn’t just work in history. He works in our lives today. David writes in Psalm 63:5-8: “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” Whether making a list with pen (or computer) or lying awake and thinking in the middle of the night, recounting God’s work in our lives causes us to joy in Him.

Some years ago, I was encouraged to write down my “Ebenezers.” The word means “stone of help” and comes from 1 Samuel 7:12, where Samuel placed a stone as a memorial of God’s help and called it “Ebenezer.” God helps us every day in big and small ways, but I made a list of some special times when I particularly saw God’s hand at work (that list can be found here.)

Pray.

Prayer is a big subject with many facets, but for our purposes today, I’ll just say there’s nothing like a direct answer to a personal prayer–or the realization that God’s “no” was the best response–to inspire our delight in the Lord.

Read and sing hymns.

Colossians 3:16 says we are taught and admonished as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Music and poetry have a way of engaging our minds as well as our emotions and can feed our delight in the Lord.

I can hardly sing “Is He Worthy?” without getting teary. “God of Heaven,” “Behold Our God,” and “O God Beyond All Praising” all transport me into instant worship.

Another favorite is the lesser-known but lovely “O God My Joy” (lyrics and background information here), based on Psalm 43:3-4: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.”

And then there are the multitudes of hymns that are testimonies of what God has done in our lives.

See God’s hand in creation.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by a gorgeous sunset, beautiful flowers, or majestic mountain scenes and marveled at God’s handiwork?

Then David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” The God of such grandeur knows and loves and cares for us!

Turn thoughts to God all through the day.

We don’t have to confine our worship or our delight in the Lord to our time in the Bible with Him or in prayer. As we go about our daily tasks, we can pray, sing, or think about God’s character, words, and deeds.

What helps you most to delight in the Lord?

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