“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4

D is for Delight

Delight—a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture; something that gives great pleasure; to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly

What do you delight in? A trip to Disneyland, Granny’s cherry pie, dinner with family or friends, a nice sweet-smelling hot bath, playing the piano or singing in the middle of a large choir, and listening to Josh Groban are a few things that come to my mind. I’m sure you could make your own list. But what does the Bible say about what we should be delighting in, and what does God Himself delight in? Let’s look at some scriptures.

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word” (Psalm 119:16).

“Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:24).

“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law…” (Romans 7:22).

“If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).

“Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2).

The Bible is clear; we should delight in God’s law, Word, and works.

“The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11).

“The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse, but He delights in those whose ways are blameless” (Proverbs 11:20).

“The LORD detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy” (Proverbs 12:22).

“’Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

God delights in those:

  • who fear Him
  • who put their hope in His unfailing love
  • whose ways are blameless
  • who are trustworthy
  • who exercise kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth

“The LORD makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him…” (Psalm 37:23).

“Praise the LORD. Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in His commands” (Psalm 112:1).

“Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7:18).

“That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

God promises firm steps, blessings, mercy, and strength if we delight in Him. Oh, and one more promise! It is in the opening verse. “Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” These desires must line up with His Word for them to be valid. They must not take the place of Him. What a great, loving, kind God we serve!

Father, may we delight in You and Your Word today, not just for the promises for promises’ sake, but because You are worthy to delight in! Amen.