Delighting in Christ
Psalms 37:4
Isaiah 58:14
עָנַג – aw-nag’ =(have) delight (self) – Strongs H6026
Definition of delight – Merriam Webster Dictionary
“1: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : JOY
also : extreme satisfaction
2: something that gives great pleasure”
What are some of the things that give us joy, pleasure and satisfaction?
Delighting can be likened to a warm summer day in a quiet field with blooming flowers, birds singing and a gentle breeze blowing. The warmth of the sun upon our skin. Such a sense of peace and contentment fills us that we want to capture that moment and live it forever. Just so is delighting in the Lord. We find such a sense of pleasure and contentment that we never want to be without Him. We have assurance of His care and love for us. Nothing else can compare to our time spent with Him.
“Delight thyself also in the Lord – Expect all your happiness from Him and seek it in Him.” Adam Clarke Commentary
Being with Christ, in His presence should bring us greater joy and satisfaction than any other thing in our lives. The song Holy Ground say “In His presence there is Joy beyond all measure. At His feet Peace and Love can still be found. If you have a need I know He has the answer….” We need to know the truth in all these things. Joy beyond all measure only comes from Christ our Lord. True peace can only come from knowing our Lord and being in His presence. The unfailing and boundless Love comes only from our Lord. He gives us unconditional love that no other can give.
When we come to Jesus as His child we must know in our spirits and souls that there is no condemnation. Often it is because of the guilt of some sin in our past that we feel that we cannot approach Him. It is our own condemning of ourselves that takes away our delight in being in His presence. But we have to realize that once we have confessed and repented of our sins, He no longer has any record of them. They are washed away in the depths of the sea to be remember against us no more.
Mic_7:19
Isa_43:25
Eph 2:1
2Cor 5:17
We will delight in Christ when we recall the wonder of our salvation. The gift of God that is bestowed on us through the love of God. If we take a moment to remember that we were lost and without hope, then Jesus came to our rescue. He took away our sins and gave us His righteousness. He made us alive in Him. We have newness of life. We are a new creation in Christ.
“Oh the wonder of it all, the wonder of it all, is to think that God loves me”… George Beverly Shea
As we ponder these truths of the marvels of God’s love to us, surely we can begin to delight ourselves in Him. He has taken us from death unto life, from darkness to marvelous light. From empty longing to joy unspeakable and full of glory.
1John 3:14
1Peter 1:8
We long to spend more time with our wonderful savior. We desire to know Him more and more. Our cup overflows and flows upon others who see and feel the presence of the Lord in us. Knowing Him is truly a wonder and a delight to us.
Why does knowing that our sins are forever washed away and forgotten give us cause for delight?
How does recalling the moment of our salvation help us to have renewed delight in Christ?
Should that moment be a moment that we think of often?
What is so delightful in Jesus words that we “shall not come into condemnation” and have “passed from death unto life’?
Psa_37:11
Psa_40:8
Isa_58:14
Delighting ourselves in the Lord brings us great reward. As we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart. Those things that we truly long for deep within, He gives to us.
When we are delighting ourselves in the Lord we will desire to do and be and have the things that please Him. He will cause us to live above the cares of this life and the turmoil of earthly circumstances. He will feed us with the good things of God and we will not want for any good thing.
When we delight in the Lord, we have indescribable peace. No matter what may be going on in this world or in our lives, we have peace sweet peace.
Why would we say that delighting ourselves in the Lord brings great reward?
How does the Lord fill us to overflowing when we delight in Him?
What are some of the “good things” He feeds us with?
Job_36:11
Psa 16:11
Psa_36:8
“They shall be abundantly satisfied – “watered.” That is, all who thus put their trust in the mercy of God. The Hebrew word – רוה râvâh – means to drink to the full; to be satisfied, or sated with drink; or to be satisfied or filled with water, as the earth or fields after an abundant rain. The state referred to by the word is that of one who was thirsty, but who has drunk to the full; who feels that his desire is satisfied:
(a) He has found that which is adapted to his wants, or which meets his needs, as water does the wants of one who is a thirst;
(b) He has found this “in abundance.”
There is no lack, and he partakes of it in as large measure as he chooses. So the weary and thirsty traveler, when he finds in the desert a “new and untasted spring,” finds that which he needs, and drinks freely; and so the sinner – the dying man – the man who feels that there is nothing in the world that can satisfy him:
(1) finds in the provisions of the gospel that which exactly meets the needs of his nature, and
(2) he finds it in abundance.” Albert Barnes Commentary
As we delight ourselves in the Lord, we find that we are abundantly satisfied. Our soul is filled to the brim with the pleasures of God. There is no longer any yearning or longing for things that do not satisfy our deepest desires. We have joy that overflows our being.
We find that we desire to obey the commands of the Lord. They are a pleasure to us, for all that there is about Him brings us delight.
We begin to realize that when we walk in accordance with the will of God that we spend our days in goodness. [Prosperity – ṭôb – good, best, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, joyful, most pleasant;] all these things are the condition of our lives when we delight in Christ our Lord. We realize that it is not that we must “keep up with the Jones” or have the most prestigious job or live in the biggest house and drive the most expensive car. We find that we are truly contented with what we have been provided by our Lord. We have such joy within that all that is without cannot affect it.
Heb 13:5
Phillip 4:10-11
1Tim 6:6-8
To be content – [happy, comfortable, relaxed, satisfied] in life is something that everyone is longing and looking to find. To be satisfied in our world within the parameters of this life we are living. Many are trying to find this by working harder and harder to get to the top of the ladder, many others have climbed the ladder only to get to the top and still have no contentment or peace.
Still others longing to fill the emptiness and void within their being turn to substances and addictions to try to ease their symptoms. But the scripture tells us that we can find true contentment in delighting ourselves in the Lord. Timothy tells us that godliness – living a life in alignment with God’s Word – is great gain for us.
Though we may not have what the world calls success or prosperity, we have more because we can contentedly lay our heads on our pillows at night and rest in blessed peace. We have peace in our lives every day that cannot be understood by those who do not know the Lord. We have such an assurance that God is controlling everything and taking care of us so that we do not have to worry.
When we delight ourselves in the Lord, our prospective is lifted up. We no longer are brought down by the cares of this life as our focus is on the eternal. We know that each and every day we live down here, God is in control and directing our paths. We live each and every day delighting in our Lord and praising Him for all His goodness, mercy and love to us. We share that with everyone we can and at every opportunity we have so that others will also want to delight in Him and live such a wonderful life here while looking forward to our eternal life with Him for ever and ever.
Delighting ourselves in the Lord gives us such joy and peace here and now. We can wake each morning and look forward to our day with our Lord. We can lay our head on the pillow each night with contentment knowing that He gives us blessed rest and that should we not awake here on this earth, we will surely awake in His presence and be there forever. There is no better life than delighting ourselves in the Lord.
When we think of the delight we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, how can we but feel a renewed passion for the One in whom we delight. Surely as we delight in Him the flame in our souls grows ever brighter. We will become a hot burning flame for Him.
What does “delighting in the Lord” mean to you in your life?
How are our lives better when we delight in the Lord?
Does delighting in the Lord change how we look at life?
Why does delighting in the Lord renew our passion for Christ?