LMKTM: Delighting Myself in the Lord
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
If you’ve been around Christianity for any length of time, chances are that you’ve heard this verse. We’ve all used this verse to direct misguided prayers and pleas at God, as we seek His blessing on one area or another in our life. I’ve personally known this verse since I was a young girl, excited that there was a Scripture that promised me that I could get whatever it was my heart desired! What’s not to love, right?
It wasn’t until recently, though, that I started to think on what the first part of that verse really entailed. What did it actually mean to “delight myself in the Lord?” Being delighted in someone or something isn’t really a common expression that I use in my everyday life, so how do I even know how to do it? My answer was to come from quite an unexpected source. The source was a drooling, squishy chunk of baby named Gavin, my five month old son.
When Gavin sees his momma, he lights up. He absolutely, positively glows. It’s as if my very presence makes him happy. When I hold him and snuggle him and sniff him (come on, that baby smell is just delicious!), he just seems purely joyful to be in my arms and to have his momma’s attention. When I look at him and sing to him, his face fills with wonder and he coos and gurgles and slobbers all over me, and I love every single minute of it! When I was trying to describe Gavin’s actions to my husband one day, it just slipped out: Gavin delighted in me.
Am I like Gavin when I think of the way I interact with the Lord? Do I light up in His presence? Do I find joy simply from being held in His arms and hearing His voice? Do I desire for nothing more than to hear Him to sing to me? Do I spend my time sitting at His feet just so I can be near Him? This, I’ve learned, is delighting myself in Him. When I look at Gavin, I am reminded of the way I long to be around my Father.
Delight yourself in Him today. There’s nothing better!
