WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD

“Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” – Zephaniah 3:14 –17.

What is it that absolutely and thoroughly delights you? What is that one “thing” that delivers joy and satisfaction to your heart? Is it new cars, rich friendships, or traveling to far-flung destinations worldwide? It could be your achievements or the achievements of your children. Or maybe it is just being with those you know and love best.

In chapter 3 of Zephaniah, verses 14-17, we are given a picture of the delight that we can have with the Lord: Verse 17 tells us that yes, “the Lord your God is living among you” and then it says that “He will take great delight in you” and “rejoice over you with joyful songs.” So while the Bible tells us that we are to delight in Him, it also says He will delight in us. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

But what does delighting in the Lord look like in practice? What specifically are we supposed to do? The word delight is a verb. It is taking great pleasure in God to please Him.

A good way to think about it is how we delight in our children. We watch the things they do and see their features and character. We laugh at the funny things they do. We talk and listen to them and hold them close. They are never far from our thoughts. We focus on the things we love about them. There are so many great memories that we created together, and we anticipate more to come.

We can do the same things with God. We take delight in God by spending time with Him and watching the things He is doing in our lives. We can learn about His attributes and characteristics. We can talk with Him, listen to Him, and keep Him first and foremost in our minds during the day. This is delighting in the Lord. This is how He becomes our primary source of delight.

God is not looking to be an item on our to-do list, but rather, He is looking to be our one and only. He desires to be our focus. He desires to be our delight. He desires for our relationship with Him to be so important, so vital and valuable to us that it weaves itself into every aspect of our life.

Discussion Questions:

In what circumstances are you most tempted to stop delighting in God? What would you want to hear from Him if you were to talk to Him in those circumstances?
Do you delight in God in between the big moments in your life?
What would that be if you changed how you delighted in God? If God were to alter how you delight in Him, what would that be?