Delighting is an Action Verb
As I do daily, yesterday morning I sent my children (all four – husbands and wives) a text message. This day I sent them all a similar message. I had been pondering how my children are living in seasons of tremendous blessings. God has answered so many of their specific prayers. It seems, more than ever, that God’s favor is upon them. As with any parent, it brings me such pleasure to see them blessed.
I reminded them of the WHO’s WHO as I texted these words to them: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm37:4) You have been loving and delighting in the Lord so much – no wonder He is blessing you! “Delight” means bringing pleasure to someone and, no doubt, you are pleasing Him. Delighting is a specific way of living your life yielded to God. And I know that’s why His favor is upon you.”
It is true for you and me, too. I remember how my sweet young boyfriend “delighted” in me right into our married lives. When a younger or older man’s heart is tender toward a woman, in wooing and charming her — he will want who he is and what he does and says to be pleasing to her. He is delighting himself in her. It draws a woman closer and closer to that man! And this is the way we delight in God.
Lest what I say here leads you to think that delighting in God is a ploy to get our heart’s desires, it is not. God is the giver and He gives us the desires of our hearts – not our hearts’ desires. Our hearts can desire some pretty gnarly stuff. God doesn’t give us those desires. God gives us the desires that please Him. If we’re delighting in Him, we will desire that thing because HE placed that desire in our hearts. So how do we know if the desires of our hearts are God’s desires for us?
Back to my discomfort with my home in Frisco – more space than I needed; more home maintenance than I wanted. I started desiring less stuff, smaller home with less upkeep and a closer-knit community. Suddenly I thought I should check out apartment home communities. Immediately I knew this was God’s desire for me. I had been taking pleasure and delighting in Him and He gave me the desires that I needed. When my son heard and saw my desires – he expressed his desires of me moving to Austin. Honestly, because my son had been delighting in God, God gave him the desire for me to move to Austin. What a set-up!
It takes faith that whatever desire is in our heart WILL happen: Someday. Someway. Sometime. Because I was moving forward with God’s desire for me – I was faithful to that desire. I needed to use my faith. And I needed patience. It all didn’t happen overnight. It happened in God’s timing – even the cold, snow and ice that delayed my move was a part of God’s perfect timing.
How do we know it’s God’s desire for us? God will give us peace about it. I had that peace. The peace that passes all understanding isn’t mental. It’s spiritual. My mind felt like it was going cray cray sometimes, yet there was a peace in my spirit. I know this. If the desire that we have in our heart is not of God, then we will have no peace in our spirit about it. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to have peace about doing something that is not of God. So, how do we know if the desires of our hearts are from God? We have peace in our Spirit to truly know if it’s of God or not. No peace. No God. Know peace. Know God. I pray God gives YOU, the desires of YOUR heart as you delight in Him.