Psalm 37:4 is one of my favorite Scriptures. It says “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (ESV)
When I first heard this verse, I thought to myself, “I would love for the LORD to give me the desires of my heart! But I’m not really sure what it means to delight myself in Him.” So the LORD began to show me and teach me what that means.
Delight, according to Mirriam Webster, means to take great pleasure in. Here is a word picture the LORD showed me to help us understand better…
Think about how a young woman who is recently engaged delights in her fiancee. Or how a parent takes great pleasure in their child. And especially how a grandparent delights in their grandchildren. (As a new grandmother, I am well qualified to describe this.) What do they do?
1. They notice the little things their loved one does that others may not notice. And these things bring them joy, even though the same deeds might frustrate others. For instance, a grandmother absolutely loves it when her grandchild sings, dances or performs in some way for her, even if the performance is far from perfect. Then what does the grandmother do? Of course, she claps and thanks the child for performing for her.
2. They notice the little things about the person they love that make them unique, like a bride who notices the way her “man” walks, or a mom who notices that her baby always sleeps with her hands above her head. And they praise them for those traits.
3. They notice the likes and dislikes of the person they delight in. And they seek to please their loved one by giving them what they like. For example, my mom is so great at picking out gifts that me and my 3 siblings will love, because she knows what each of us like and don’t like.
4. They give that person they delight in their time and attention. Think about how young couples in love just cannot get enough of each other. They just want to be together all the time. They pay attention to every word their loved one says, and every deed their loved one does.
5. They use their creativity to show the person they delight in how much they love them. Consider the elaborate and extravagant lengths some men go to in order to propose to their bride-to-be. This also reminds me of all the silly (and creative) things my husband did with our children when they were little, just because they enjoyed it, and because he enjoyed hearing them giggle and squeal in delight.
6. They don’t care what other people think. I can promise you, I don’t care what anyone else thinks or says about my grandchildren. I think they are wonderful and no one can convince me otherwise. Furthermore, I don’t care if anyone thinks I am silly or foolish for making funny faces at my infant granddaughter or for wearing the bright, glittery eyeglasses my 9-year-old granddaughter and I made out of paper.
So let’s take these things we observed about how people delight in another person and use them as keys for how we can delight in the LORD.
Key #1 – Notice things God does & thank him for them
● Don’t just notice the BIG things God does, like healing someone from cancer or delivering someone from an addiction to drugs.
● Notice all the small things he does too.
● When a song comes on the radio and ministers to your heart exactly what you need at that particular moment, take notice. And thank God for it.
● Notice the fact that you were able to remain calm when that person cut you off in traffic this morning. Then thank God that he is working in your heart and helping you walk in peace.
Key #2 – Notice things about God’s character & praise him for who he is
● Make a list of God’s character traits.
● Whenever you are reading the Bible and come across a verse that says, “God is…”, add that to your list.
● Spend some time just praising God. Use words from your list to praise him for who is is.
Key #3 – Notice what God likes and what he doesn’t like. Then do what he likes.
● Search God’s Word to find out what he likes and doesn’t like. Here’s a couple Scriptures to get you started:
● God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV)
● There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him… (Proverbs 6:16-19)
Key #4 – Give God your time and attention
● I used to think that I could not really hear God very well or discern what he was saying to me. The problem was not in my ability to hear but in my ability to listen. I needed to learn how to listen and to pay better attention.
● I have found that writing things down, and even drawing or doodling on paper, or creating Scripture graphics on my phone, helps me to pay better attention to the things I find God saying to me through His Word.
● I have also learned that God loves the times when I have “quiet time” and give him my undivided attention, but he also loves when I look for him and talk with him throughout my day, noticing the little things he does and paying attention to the little “nudges” he gives me.
Key #5 – Don’t be afraid to get creative
● Being creative doesn’t mean being a talented artist. It means using your imagination to come up with new ways to love and serve God.
● Look for ways to use activities you already enjoy to help you delight in the LORD. For instance, I enjoy drawing, and coloring, and writing down my thoughts and prayers. So I created a devotional coloring book and journal so that I (and others who also enjoy these things) can enjoy coloring Scripture art while meditating on God’s Word.
Key #6 – Don’t be intimidated by how others delight in the LORD
● Maybe you have seen some of the creative ways that some women are “journaling” in their Bibles and you would like to try that. Don’t feel like your pages must look just like the amazing photos you have seen on Pinterest. The goal is not perfection. The goal is an enhanced relationship with Jesus. If your version of Bible journaling helps you achieve that, that’s all that matters.
To be clear, these are not rules or commandments. But they are keys that have helped me to delight myself in the LORD. I hope they will help you too.
I am super excited to share this link with you! JoDitt is giving Seeking God readers a sampling of her new coloring book. Before you go, follow this link to download a sampling of her new book! Delight In the Word of God!
You can also find JoDitt here at JoDitt Designs and connect with her on social media
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JoDitt Williams is an author, speaker, licensed artist, blogger and Etsy shop owner with a goal of brightening her little corner of the world and helping others do the same. Whether she is creating art using traditional methods or digitally, her style is always colorful, cheerful and charming. She hopes that her Scripture art will cultivate delight in the LORD and in His Word. JoDitt has a passion for encouraging, uplifting and inspiring women to live a life full of joy, while gaining victory over fear. That’s why she teaches a weekly Bible study class for women in her community, and blogs at joditt.com about hiding God’s Word in your heart. JoDitt and her husband of 28 years are empty-nesters, who have traded their house for an RV and their horses for a Harley. They, as well as their two married children and three grandchildren, call Texas home.
Funny … just last week, I'd written down this verse during my morning quiet time with God, and asked myself, "What does it MEAN to 'delight myself in the Lord'?" and then I determined to look it up — which I did. But, I love that you also did a post on this, Jo! Thank you!
Great post stuffed with valuable hints! I like what you have got obtained correct right here. That is so applicable to most of the readers. I feel these are all very effective and powerful things that every person must realized. Thank you for the nice hints that you've placed right here. It used to be all valuable and important stuffs. Thanks for sharing this fantastic post I was once looking for this information for my project.
Thank you for this article. It was very good and helpful. (I printed out the 6 key ways. 🙂 )
This is so awesome. I really want to connect with you on bible study