Delight—the word brings to mind joy and pleasure. I imagine children running and playing in the summer sunlight, dancing gleefully in perfect peace. Or perhaps it’s that sweet bliss from the taste of ice cream on your tongue or the glow of the setting sun upon your skin as you bask in rest at the end of a long day.
What Does it Mean to Delight Yourself in the Lord?
We find the word repeatedly in scripture, too. The word “delight” appears more than 100 times in God’s word. One much-beloved example is Psalm 37:4, which says,
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” - ESV
The promise of this verse that God will reward you for this delight by giving you the desires of your heart is a sweet one. But what does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord? Is this a feeling, a mindset, or a behavior? In truth, it’s all three, and it’s a powerful way to honor and glorify our Creator.
Let’s look at what the Bible says about what “delight yourself in the lord” means.
What Is Delight?
The original Hebrew word translated as “delight” in Psalm 37:4 is ānag, meaning to enjoy in a luxurious, pleasurable manner. It’s a delicate and sensitive type of enjoyment, lovely and righteous. It’s a different but similar word to the other Hebrew words interpreted as delight, including hapes (meaning desire, pleasure, to prefer) or rasa (meaning to be favorable to). According to Dictionary.com, “delight” is both a noun and a verb that means possessing a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment or to give, 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 among several that address the tension 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 as the chosen one over him.
The psalm begins by urging people not to worry about those who do evil, for they will fade away. Instead, we must focus on God alone. As the psalm urges, “Trust in 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 do so when the time is right (v. 3-9).
If we can avoid worry and anger and instead delight in the Lord, God will bless us by giving us the “desires of your heart” (v. 4). These desires don’t mean anything we want. Instead, for those who are righteous and have their heart set on God, these desires will be godly, righteous things that are in line with God’s plan. They are desires God himself plants within 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, perhaps even the soul. For those with souls tied to the Lord, who can allow themselves to trust in him and take gentle enjoyment and pleasure in this waiting period, we should take heart and know that the Lord will indeed bless us.
Why Is Delight a Good Thing?
We know that God has delight because the Bible tells us this repeatedly. In the beginning, we’re told God made the universe, the world, the animals, and the people within it and then rested in his delight: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). He loves us and cared for us, but we went astray, starting with the original sin when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and continuing over and over again. Still, he continued to love and care for us, providing a path out of darkness and into his light.
Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in steadfast love.”
Psalm 35:27 proclaims, “Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, ‘Great is the Lord, who delights in 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 clear: God first and foremost. As he said in Matthew 22:37,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
This is delight in its full essence. If we do this—love the Lord, delight in the Lord, push everything else aside for this one most important thing—God will bless us beyond measure.
3 Ways We Can Delight Ourselves in the Lord Today
The most important thing to understand is that delight is a God-focused concept. Like joy, it is not a feeling but a truth and an action. We might feel happy when we have joy, just as we might feel happy when 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 eternal. As 1 John 2:15-16 tells us,
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
Here’s how we can delight in the Lord:
- Worship God. Give him all the glory and love you possess. Enjoy belonging to him and know that everything points to him. Some ideas of how to do this today include singing, attending church, teaching or reading about God, partaking in sacraments such as 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 would a spouse or other loved one. Some ideas of how you can do this 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 can fully understand it.
- Serve God. Jesus tells us how we are to love others: Treat our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39). Feed and tend to his sheep (John 21:17). Ultimately, this is how we serve God. When we are in love with God, doing this also feels good and natural. We enjoy and delight in this service. Some ideas of how you can do this today include checking on an acquaintance, helping a stranger, paying for another person’s fast food meal or highway toll, donating food or money, listening to someone, visiting those in the hospital or prison, or making a casserole for a struggling coworker or ill neighbor.
Delight is more than an emotion; it is a way of life. So do what scripture commands and delight in the Lord. Take deep, soulful pleasure in him. And know that this is a good and righteous thing.
Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
