What are some things that delight you?
Delighted - experiencing a high degree of pleasure and enjoyment.
Here are some things that delight me:
hearing my children’s laughter from upstairs
the warmth of a campfire
the smell of rain
just the right music for the right mood/vibe
the sound of waves hitting the shore at the beach
that first sip of coffee in the morning
fresh flowers on my kitchen table
snuggling up next to Jeremy at night and praying myself to sleep
sleeping in on a rainy day
the feel of the summer sun on my skin
singing with a group who both hit the harmonies well AND have a good attitude/appreciation for it
when I sit down to write and it just flows from seemingly nowhere
And so many other things.
There are several verses in the Bible that talk about delight.
Just a few for example (all from the NLT):
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Psalm 37:4
The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.
Proverbs 12:22
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 3:17
Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
Psalm 112:1
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:11-12
Then there is Hebrews 11:5 (TST).
In allegiance Henōch [Enoch] was shifted not to see death, and he was not found because God shifted him. For before the shift he was witnessed to have delighted God.
Verse 6 goes on to say that “without allegiance one is powerless to delight” God.
God is delighted when we have faith in Him.
All through chapter 11, the writer gives us examples of people who had faith in God - Abraham and Sarah; Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; Moses and his parents; Rahab; Gideon, David, Samuel…you get the idea. All of these people - and many others - are remembered for what happened in their lives because of their faith in God. Faith that pleased God, that delighted God.
The guidelines for pleasing God are pretty simple in theory, if a little harder in practice. Check out some of those verses we talked about above. Have faith in Him. Fear, or respect, Him. Walk in truth. Obey Him. And take delight in Him.
Yes, we are to find delight in walking with Him, just as He finds delight in our faith. We should find pleasure in spending time with Him. Just as we delight in our own children, so He does in us as our heavenly Father. We are to find joy in doing His will, and He takes delight in our obedience.
We won’t do it perfectly. And we won’t be whisked away into the unknown, or shifted as McKnight says, like Enoch. But if we try to trust in Him, believe in His promises, and carry out His will for us, He will be delighted.