DELIGHT GROWS FAITHFULNESS
The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Psalm 27:4-5 (NLT)
The Psalmist says the one thing he asks for is to delight in the Lord. We don’t start with duty. Instead, we begin with delight. We look upon God. We see the power and majesty of Jesus, and we delight in Him. This is the starting place. To delight in God above everything else, we must remember He is the most joyful being in the universe. He isn’t heavy or weighed down by the weight of the world. He is full of joy and delight. Before we do our duties for Him, we must learn to first delight in Him. Otherwise, we’ll burn out or become distracted.
In a culture of intellect, wisdom and enlightenment, it seems delight feels elementary or out of touch. Yet, it’s central to the Kingdom of God. I need to grow in this area. It’s easy to be aware of what we lack or have lost instead of thanking God for what we have. Perhaps, that children’s song had it right: This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
When we constantly need entertainment, it indicates that we aren’t living in the joy of the Lord. The more we learn to delight in God, the less we desire the things of the world. Complacency creates a chill that kills the fire of God. If our fire is burning out, we must ask, What am I seeking first? Any joy we experience today can’t compete with the joy of the Lord. In His presence is the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Reflect on that. Sit. Thank God for the life available. Receive it. Smile.
APPLICATION: Today, your main job is to delight in God. Delight draws you deeper into the presence of God.
PRAYER: Try sitting for a few moments and think about how wonderful, powerful and perfect God is. That this amazing God who we delight in delights in spending time with us. Thank God for this amazing truth.