Delight—the word brings to mind joy and pleasure. I imagine children running and playing in the summertime sunlight, dancing gleefully in perfect peace. Or perhaps it’s that sweet bliss from the taste of ice cream in your tongue or the glow of the setting sun upon your skin as you bask in rest at the top of a protracted day.
What Does it Mean to Delight Yourself within the Lord?
We find the word repeatedly in scripture, too. The word “delight” appears greater than 100 times in God’s word. One much-beloved example is Psalm 37:4, which says,
“Delight yourself within the Lord, and he gives you the desires of your heart.” – ESV
The promise of this verse that God will reward you for this delight by supplying you with the desires of your heart is a sweet one. But what does it mean to thrill yourself within the Lord? Is this a sense, a mindset, or a behavior? In truth, it’s all three, and it’s a strong method to honor and glorify our Creator.
Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about what “delight yourself within the lord” means.
What Is Delight?
The original Hebrew word translated as “delight” in Psalm 37:4 is ānag, intending to enjoy in an expensive, pleasurable manner. It’s a fragile and sensitive sort of enjoyment, lovely and righteous. It’s a special but similar word to the opposite Hebrew words interpreted as delight, including hapes (meaning desire, pleasure, to prefer) or rasa (intending to be favorable to). According to Dictionary.com, “delight” is each a noun and a verb which means possessing a high degree of delight or enjoyment or to provide, have, or take great pleasure or enjoyment.
What Is the Context of Psalm 37:4?
Thought to have been written by David, Psalm 37 is amongst several that address the strain and difficulty endured by the righteous as they struggle against persecution from the wicked. The Bible tells us David experienced this persecution often in his life, particularly when the jealous King Saul attempted to destroy him after God anointed David because the chosen one over him.
The psalm begins by urging people not to fret about those that do evil, for they’ll fade away. Instead, we must deal with God alone. As the psalm urges, “Trust within the Lord, and do good” (v. 3). Be faithful, commit yourself to him, be still before him, and wait patiently for him to act, for God will indeed achieve this when the time is correct (v. 3-9).
If we are able to avoid worry and anger and as a substitute enjoyment of the Lord, God will bless us by giving us the “desires of your heart” (v. 4). These desires don’t mean anything we wish. Instead, for individuals who are righteous and have their heart set on God, these desires will likely be godly, righteous things which might be consistent with God’s plan. They are desires God himself plants inside us, desires for goodness and love and other things God wishes us to crave—not selfish desires but God-focused desires.
The word “desire” is the Hebrew leb, from lebab, meaning the inner self, even perhaps the soul. For those with souls tied to the Lord, who can allow themselves to trust in him and take gentle enjoyment and pleasure on this waiting period, we must always take heart and know that the Lord will indeed bless us.
Why Is Delight a Good Thing?
We know that God has delight since the Bible tells us this repeatedly. In the start, we’re told God made the universe, the world, the animals, and the people inside it after which rested in his delight: “And God saw all the pieces that he had made, and behold, it was superb” (Genesis 1:31). He loves us and cared for us, but we went astray, starting with the unique sin when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and continuing over and once again. Still, he continued to like and take care of us, providing a path out of darkness and into his light.
Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God such as you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He doesn’t retain his anger ceaselessly because he delights in steadfast love.”
Psalm 35:27 proclaims, “Let those that enjoyment of my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, ‘Great is the Lord, who delights within the welfare of his servant!’”
And as Isaiah 62:4 prophesies, if the people turn back to God, God will say, “‘You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.’”
Because God loves, so should we. Because God delights, so should we. Jesus tells us our priority is obvious: God in the beginning. As he said in Matthew 22:37,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.”
This is enjoyment of its full essence. If we do that—love the Lord, enjoyment of the Lord, push all the pieces else aside for this one most vital thing—God will bless us beyond measure.
3 Ways We Can Delight Ourselves within the Lord Today
The most vital thing to know is that delight is a God-focused concept. Like joy, it just isn’t a sense but a truth and an motion. We might feel blissful when we’ve got joy, just as we’d feel blissful once we delight. But how we feel isn’t the priority.
Delight, like joy, goes far deeper than mere feeling. The Bible reminds us that the world is temporary and fleeting. Heaven is everlasting. As 1 John 2:15-16 tells us,
“Do not love the world or the things on the earth. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father just isn’t in him. For all that’s on the earth—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—just isn’t from the Father but is from the world.”
Here’s how we are able to enjoyment of the Lord:
- Worship God. Give him all of the glory and love you possess. Enjoy belonging to him and know that all the pieces points to him. Some ideas of methods to do that today include singing, attending church, teaching or reading about God, partaking in sacraments akin to Holy Communion, talking about God with others, and marveling over God during meditation or other quiet time.
- Bask in God’s presence. Draw near to him, as James 4:8 urges. Read His Word and pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Enjoy spending quality time with him as you’d a spouse or other loved one. Some ideas of how you may do that today include spending time in nature marveling about or talking to God, spending time in prayer alone or with other believers, and poring over his Word and digging into deeper meanings so you may fully understand it.
- Serve God. Jesus tells us how we’re to like others: Treat our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Feed and are inclined to his sheep (John 21:17). Ultimately, that is how we serve God. When we’re in love with God, doing this also feels good and natural. We enjoy and enjoyment of this service. Some ideas of how you may do that today include checking on an acquaintance, helping a stranger, paying for an additional person’s fast food meal or highway toll, donating food or money, listening to someone, visiting those within the hospital or prison, or making a casserole for a struggling coworker or ailing neighbor.
Delight is greater than an emotion; it’s a lifestyle. So do what scripture commands and enjoyment of the Lord. Take deep, soulful pleasure in him. And know that that is a very good and righteous thing.
Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
