How Do I Delight in the Lord?

Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s requests. // Psalm 37:4

This is such a sweet verse from today’s Psalm, right? It almost reads like a fortune cookie message. It’s encouraging, tells me to take action—delight in the Lord—and promises a reward: my heart’s desire. Yes, please, and thank You! 

God does not disappoint when it comes to delighting my heart. I love morning walks, when I see beautiful sunrises and low fog creeping across the corn fields down the street. My shoulders will relax, I exhale deeply, and I audibly praise God for the beauty and gift of the morning.

Beyond the morning’s beauty, it can be a real challenge to delight in the Lord in the midst of everyday annoyances, suffering, and dryness in prayer.

When I chose this verse to write about, I texted my friend Joann. “Talk to me about delight in the Lord,” I practically demanded. I wanted to hear from her what practicing delight looks like, to round out my admittedly slightly saccharine experience.

After a deeply painful loss in her life, she’s relearning to delight in the Lord’s will. “Having [my son] safely was pure delight and healing [. . .] but unveiled areas that I wasn’t delighted in the Lord.” She shared how God continues to heal, little by little, as she surrenders her heart to Him.

“He created my heart for wholeness, so of course my heart’s request (whether I know it or not) is for repair and restoration,” Joann shared. 

Embracing the Lord’s will over our own is the only way to find what we seek. As Saint Augustine famously wrote in his Confessions, “Our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”

Not even the most brilliant sunrise, the most physically pain-free day, or the most powerful prayer will fulfill our heart’s request. Only God will satisfy.

The Lord desires only what is good for us, which is what will make us holy and draw us to Heaven. Let’s pray today for the courage to surrender more to Him, to delight in His will and allow Him to make us holy.