DELIGHTING IN THE LORD

Why We Should Delight in the Lord?

Did you know that some things we do or certain behaviours we exhibit do not delight God? (Isaiah 65:12). Some of us are losing our delight in God, His word, prayer, soul-winning, service, and living holy lives.

 The purpose of this message is to help us understand what delights God and what it means to delight in the Lord.

 What is Delighting?

 The definition of delighting is desiring, setting your mind and affection towards a person or thing you value and take pleasure in. Moreover, it is to incline your heart towards something with desire and attachment. 

 Delighting may also mean what you love to think about, say, feel, or do and take pleasure in. Hence, delighting is esteeming someone, something, or an activity. 

 Furthermore, as part of speech (verb and noun), we can infer the deeper meaning of delighting from different foreign language dictionaries:

• Hebrew (v): chaphets  - A primitive root; properly to incline to; to bend; figuratively to be pleased with; desire: - X any at all, (have, take) delight, desire, favor, like, move, be (well) pleased, have pleasure, will.
• Greek (v): sunedomai – To rejoice in oneself, feeling satisfaction concerning something.
• English (root word & definition) (v & n): Middle English from Old French delitier; from Latin delectare to charm, (n) pleasure, please greatly.

Moreover, the word delight has many synonyms such as: Favor, joy, contentment, gladness, pleasure, satisfaction, enchantment, esteem, adoration, appreciation, valuing, liking, idolization, praise, reverence, love, and honor.

It also has many antonyms such as: Discontent, dislike, hate, dismay, dissatisfaction, sadness, unhappiness, disappointment, misery, pain, trouble, and despair.

What is the Difference between Delight and Desire?

Delight is a higher level of desire. We desire people or things with our eyes, but we delight in them with our souls. Therefore, we experience delight internally while we desire externally.

We can show delight in:

• People.
• Things like gold or silver.
• Events such as the Sabbath.

 Facts about Delighting

• Delighting comes after desiring someone or something.
• You will constantly engage in something once you delight in it.
• You will constantly want to spend time with someone who delights you.
• It is possible to delight in both serious and foolish things.
• We delight in someone who gives us pleasure and enjoyment.
• Delighting focuses on emotions and great feelings of excitement from something.

In what Capacity do we Delight?

 Delighting is experienced in various forms. For example, in Deut 21:14, we see a marriage relationship between a husband and wife. Therefore, in a marriage relationship, a husband and wife can delight in each other or vice versa.

In Proverbs 7:18, we can also see delighting in an immoral relationship.

 Delighting is a two-way process. When we delight in God, he delights in us. Moreover, rejoicing in God is loving him with all our heart (2 Chronicles 17:6) and strength (Job 27:9-10).

 In the next section, we will look at who and what we should delight in.

Who should we Delight in?

We should delight in God and his people. In Isaiah 11:3, the Lord tells us the one who delights in his fear never judges by eyesight nor decides by hearing. Moreover, in Psalms 16:3, the Lord delights in the saints of the earth, those who are blameless in his sight.

 What should Delight us?

• We should delight in the Law of God by meditating on it day and night (Psalms 1:2).
• We should delight in doing the will of the Lord (Psalms 40:8).
• We should delight in the blessings of God (Psalms 109:17).
• We should delight in the word of God, which includes: His statutes (Psalms 119:16), His testimonies (Psalms 119:24), His commandments (Psalms 119:35 and Psalms 119:48), His law (Psalms 119:70 and Romans 7:22).

 What should not Delight us?

 The Word of God gives us examples of what should not delight us. These are things that we should avoid to please the Lord.

• We should not delight in scorning (Proverbs 1:22).
• We should not delight in the wicked’s perversity ( Proverbs 2:14).
• We should not delight in lies (Psalm 62:4).
• We should not delight in our enemy’s downfall (Proverbs 24:17-18)

What Happens when we Delight Wrongly?

 We tend to use people when we wrongly delight in them. In 1 Sam 18:22, Saul delights in David and wants him to become his son-in-law. In verse 25, Saul tells David to pay for the bride price using the foreskins of 100 Philistines. All this while, Saul is hoping that the Philistines will kill David in doing so.

Therefore, Saul pretends to delight in David, but his primary motive is to use him and later kill him.

Why should we Delight in God?

The Lord delights in us first; therefore, we should reciprocate that delight in him. When we pray to God, he delights in us, then we see his face and shout with joy (Job 33:26). Hence, our delight should be in what pleases God.

Furthermore, it is an error to assume what does or doesn’t please God. We should never think that God has ceased delighting in us because of life challenges (2 Sam 15:26). Additionally, we should never assume that God delights in or not in burnt offerings and sacrifices.

However, the word of God is evident in what delights him.

The Lord delights in:

• You and I (Prov 8:30-32)
• Obedience to his word (1 Sam 15:22)
• A just weight (Prov 11:1)
• Those who walk blamelessly (Prov 11:20)
• Those who speak truthfully (Prov 12:22)
• The prayers of the Upright (Prov 15:8)
• Us knowing him (Jer 9:24)
• Us making him our gold and precious silver (Job 22:25)

The Lord also delights in us when we keep his word close to us. He desires us to:

• Keep his statutes and not forget them (Psalms 119:16).
• Obtain counsel from his testimonies (Psalms 119:24).
• Allow his commandments to direct our paths (Psalms 119:35) and meditate on them (Psalms 119:48).
• Love his law and delight in it above all else (Psa 119:70. Psa 119:77, Psa 119:92, Psa 119:174).

 Moreover, the word of God is also evident in what dissatisfies the Lord:

• Disobedience (1 Sam 15:22)
• Iniquity
• The horses’ strength or a man’s legs (Psalms 147:10)
• Blood of bulls, lambs, or goats (Isaiah 1:11)

How to Grow our Delight in the Lord

Growing our delight in the Lord requires us to invest our time, energy, and resources. We should emulate the Lord, who gives himself entirely to us.

The 3E’s enables us to invest ourselves in delighting God.

 The 3 E’s

1.    Engagement- This is in godly activities and equipping ourselves in Lord.

2.    Empowerment – This is building, inspiring, and enhancing others in the Lord.

3.    Experience – This is positive outcomes and results you get.

Signs of Delighting in God

 When we delight in God, there are apparent signs that accompany us, such as:

• Removing anything that represents an idol or false representation of God or takes God’s place in our lives (2 Chr 17:6).
• Constantly striving to behave in ways that please God.

 Benefits of Delighting in God

 Delighting in the Lord is not in vain; God’s blessings are visible in a person’s life who is committed to please him. These benefits include:

• God honouring that person (Esther 6:6).
• The Lord granting the desires of their heart (Psa 37:4).
• The Lord giving them an abundance of peace (Psa 37:11).
• God delighting their soul with his comfort from their anxieties (Psa 94:19).
• Their soul rejoicing in abundance (Isaiah 55:2).

Conclusion

We should not allow circumstances to make us think that God has stopped delighting in us. God will give us a desire, which will enable us to delight in him and his word. Moreover, what gives God joy will also bring happiness to us.

 The degree of delighting in someone or something grows with time, engagement, and experience. Consequently, it will increase our desire for that person or thing.