“Delight thyself also in the Lord…” - Psalm 37:4a
This seems a bit appropriate for the first blog post on my newly redesigned website. It's something I want to remember myself. Remember, among all the distractions of the world, where my delight is.
After a sermon I heard a while back at church on delight, it really got stuck in my head. People often think of the “desires of thine heart” part of the verse. To save you having to look it up, the whole verse says "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (ESV) People quote it like it’s only something to do to get something.
How selfish we are.
Delight yourself in the Lord. That’s the part that stuck in my mind. Do I? I thought so, of course, but that was the quick answer. Am I truly delighting myself or going through the motions and ticking off boxes?
Read Bible ✓
Pray ✓
Go to church ✓
Tithe ✓
Got it. So I’m delighting, right? Well, those are good things for sure, and we think if we’re happy enough doing them that we’re delighting in the Lord. It can be easy to fool ourselves sometimes.
About that word “delight” though. Have you ever watched a child’s face light up at the wonder of something? How every fiber of their being is alight with pleasure as they watch a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis or bring you that bouquet of beautiful weeds they found and gathered. Children delight quite easily. What about us adults? What about me? What do I delight in?
I was standing in my kitchen looking out at my garden as I asked myself that very question.
What do I delight in?
At first, going to church, reading the Bible, and prayer pop in the brain. A little bit of dismay creeps in as I realize those are the quick, automatic answers. I took a minute to truly ponder the question.
Then a peace began to seep in. It floating through me as a soft breeze does on a warm day.
The things I delight in. They are the Lord’s.
The plants in the garden that grow from seed. The miracle of life. Nature, his creation. The sheer complexity of the world he made. The mathematical genius I can’t even wrap my mind around. The components of the air I breathe. The breeze on my face. The twinkle of the stars in the night sky. The awe of a mountaintop view.
I don’t delight in these things for the things themselves.
I crave them. I crave them because I crave Him, the creator of it all. I feel Him there. In life. In nature. The smells, the sights, the sounds, the touch. I see Him in it all.
And in the silence.
Away from voices, away from busy-ness, away from influence and distraction.
I breathe it all in and my heart fills. My eyes overflow.
“That is your delight in me,” He whispers in my mind.
And I know it’s true.
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So I wrote most of these words a while back. You may have seen the post on my site before the redesign. I'm happy to be reminded of where my delight is, and maybe you see why I love nature so much.
- Jessica