What Does it Mean to "Delight in the Lord"?
The idea of delighting ourselves in God means we make Him the most important thing in our life. When He is the number one desire, He will give Himself to us. When we have God, we have all we need.
In high school more than anything I wanted to be content. I happily dove into perfectionism. Moving through college, my perfectionist tendencies were revealed when I cried over a B in History. Then motherhood further destroyed all of my dreams of having a perfect house, perfect children, and a perfect life. Contentment never seemed to find me.
Ten years into motherhood now, I realize something I wish I could go back and tell my “new mother” self. Your husband will not complete you (contrary to a popular movie at the time). Your children will not satisfy. Your job (or lack of one) will not give you a sense of purpose. Your identity will not be in how you serve at church.
Our true desires must rest in God. Practically speaking, this means we spend time in His Word. Studying, praying, and listening to the Bible will never be a waste of time. In these moments, whether they be hours or minutes, we can help our hearts align with the One who will completely satisfy.
A Prayer for God to Give You the Desires of Your Heart
Lord God, help me make you my desire today. I want to delight in You. I see now I will never have my desires apart from life with You. Let me turn to You today as I walk through the ordinary moments. When life interrupts my well-thought-out plans, help me to trust You are still working. You promise to be everything I need (Phil. 4:19). I lift up this burden I’m carrying to you. I realize I’ve been seeking to please You, but what you really want from me is for me to delight in You. Help me to find you enough. In Christ’s name, Amen.
It took me a long time, and lots of tears to figure out God wasn’t just going to give me what I wanted if I was “good.” Instead, He would help me in my imperfection to see that my goals were simply misplaced. The focus is not getting what I want but finding my true delight in the Lord.
If we delight in the Lord, He becomes our desire. God will gladly give more of Himself to those of us who seek Him.
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