Experiencing God's Presence #200

Take delight in the LORD . . .

Psalm 37:4

We love the last half of this verse. The first half isn’t bad either; we just don’t fully understand what it means. How exactly do we “delight” in the Lord? We serve Him, believe in Him, even love Him. But delight? Most of us don’t get chill bumps and rapid heartbeats about God for more than a few moments at a time. It isn’t always pure pleasure.

If our relationship with God isn’t full of delight, then we have some misperceptions about Him. Perhaps we assume He’s down on us for not measuring up to His high standards, or maybe we resent that He didn’t seem to answer that desperate prayer we prayed. We might have interpreted His apparent distance as a lack of love, or His words as a system of sterile doctrine. But if we really saw Him for who He is—the beauty of His face or the majesty and mystery of His throne room—we would be completely captivated. If we truly understood His purposes and the love behind His ways, we would be profoundly grateful.

The rewards for delighting in the Lord are appealing, but in many ways the delight is a reward in itself. If you push past the false assumptions and ask to see Him as He is, He will completely capture your imagination. The intrigue of a relationship with Him, with all His passion and zeal, makes for a fascinating adventure. No one can be bored in His Presence. He urges us to delight in Him because He is worthy of our delight.

Lord, break through my false assumptions about You. I want to see You as You are. Capture my imagination. Fill my heart with delight. Thrill me with the joy of knowing You.

From the book