Delight in the Lord

When I think of delight, I can’t help but think about my youngest son, Samuel. Sam was a happy child, full of delight!

One of my favorite memories of my very active little boy was him bouncing in his bouncy chair. That's him above. Isn't he cute!

He was still learning to walk, and he loved being upright. It was basically a chair attached to a bungee cord that hung from a doorway, the perfect jungle gym for my extremely active and physical budding toddler. He would giggle and squeal with delight as he jumped up and down nonstop. I wish I had a video so you could see just how crazy and excited he would get in this thing!

It was pure joy!

Another cherished memory is Sam’s first day of preschool. He put his little backpack on with pride and couldn’t quit smiling or talking as we drove to Rosie’s, his preschool teacher. He had watched his older brother go off to school, and now it was finally his turn. He was over-the-moon excited.

He kissed me goodbye and ran off with a smile, ready for this new adventure, feeling like such a “big boy.”

Oh, be still my heart!

Of course, everything changed in high school, but that’s another story!

As I think about choosing delight, I realize very clearly that some days more than others it is truly a choice, a decision I have to make, because it doesn’t come naturally all the time. As we go through the hardships and trials of life, we can lose the innocent zest for life that Sam displayed.

For me it always boils down to where I’m looking, whether I’m focused on my circumstances and what’s happening around me or whether I’m focused on Yahweh, my loving Heavenly Father.

Keep trusting in the Lord and do what is right in his eyes.

Fix your heart on the promises of God, and you will dwell in the land,

feasting on his faithfulness.

Find your delight and true pleasure in Yahweh,

and he will give you what you desire the most.

Give God the right to direct your life,

and as you trust him along the way,

you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly!

Psalm 37:3-5 (TPT)

As natural as it was for Sam in those early years, the truth is delight can sometimes feel like hard work. I believe the key to finding delight is found in the words above, “as you trust him along the way.” That’s where things get sketchy and hard because it’s difficult to trust that God is good when things around us aren’t good.

Another tool we find in the verse above is to"fix your heart on the promises of God.". He promises that he will never leave us, never stop loving, us, always offer us grace, the list goes on and on. I read a commentary that says there are 7,467 promises of God in the Bible. Surely one of them will speak to your situation right now!

I’m personally discovering more and more fully how true the words that end this portion of scripture really are. When I trust him and allow him to direct my life, trusting along the way, he does pull things off perfectly.

As I look back on the twists and turns along my personal journey of faith, I see without a doubt that God’s hand has been all over every bit of it, especially in the hard times.

Another beautiful reason we can choose delight is because our Father delights in us, just like I delight in those sweet memories of Sam. Even more than I delight in Sam! It’s hard to imagine the depth of that kind of love!

If you aren’t feeling delight in your life right now, my friend, maybe it’s time to look back and remember how God has been there for you. Take a minute and remind yourself that he has gotten you through hard times before and trust that he will do it again. Remember the promises of our faithful, loving God.

And as an added bonus, remember how much HE delights in YOU!

Hugs and love,

Jill