I spent the last 2 months praying through the Psalms and I can’t get Psalm 37:4 out of my mind:

” Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

I really want to delight myself in the Lord. I want to feel pure joy in this life He has given me, be excited to enter His presence, and find blessings in all service to Him.

So, I started a dive into learning all I could about delighting in the Lord and I wanted to share and encourage you too!

What does in mean to “delight in the Lord?”

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2 NIV

Delight as we will use it here will be a verb. We are talking about finding (or expressing) extreme pleasure, joy, and/or happiness in the Lord.

Finding delight in the Lord is so much about choice. It’s us choosing to get in His word and let it give us peace, comfort, and hope.

It’s about choosing to not dwell on the negative or problems, but to think and meditate on God’s word and promises.

It’s choosing to persevere in prayer when things seem out of control and life seems to be stealing our joy.

And, as Psalm 1 above expresses, those who delight in the Lord will choose to do things His way and stay away from all evil.

And, finally, it’s understanding that when one delights in the Lord, our whole lives will honor Him! When we delight in the Lord, “He gives us the desires of our heart” because the desire is for Him.

More Scriptures on Delighting in the Lord

Some form of the word delight occurs around 110 times in the Bible. Most of these are found in the Old Testament while explaining the character of God and what pleases Him or how His children should feel (relate) to Him. In the New Testament, we see delight described when something is in God’s purpose or will. (Source: Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary)

• Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. Psalm 35:9 NIV

• The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Psalm 37:23 NIV

• In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19 NIV

• Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. Psalm 112:1 NIV

• I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. Romans 7:22 NIV

Did you know that the Bible also says that the Lord delights in His people?

“Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.” Proverbs 11:20 NKJV

The Bible notes several times that God’s people are “His delight.” It’s exciting for me to think that when I delight in the Lord, He also delights in me. I hope it encourages your heart as well.

How do we know the Lord delights in us? Well here’s what the Bible says about those that the Lord delights in…

• In 1 Samuel 15:22, the scriptures tell us that the Lord delights in our obedience.

• Psalm 147:10-11 indicates that the Lord does not delight in the strength or boast of man, but His delight in those who fear Him and hope in His unfailing love.

• Proverbs 3:11-12 says those who the Lord delights in will receive His discipline.

• Proverbs 12:22 says the Lord hates lying lips, but He delights in trustworthy people.

• God expresses HIs delight in His son Jesus at both the baptism and transfiguration. He is after all our great example to follow. ( Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 ; Colossians 1:19)

Finding Delight in the Lord on a Daily Basis

King David wrote Psalm 119 as an acrostic poem all about His love for God’s word. It is the longest chapter in the Bible and tells us so much about the character of God as defined in the scriptures. Numerous times, David uses the word delight to describe how he feels about God’s word.

By walking through these verses of David’s beautiful Psalm, we get a very clear picture of how we might find delight in the Lord on a daily basis. I am not listing all of Psalm 119 here since its 176 verses but would encourage you to read it all before or after reading this list.

1. Do not neglect time in the word.
   • v.16-I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
2. Seek Your counsel from the Bible.
   • v. 24-Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.
3. Speak of God’s word often until you fall in love with it.
   • v.46-47-I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
      for I delight in your commands because I love them.
4. Let God console you when others hurt you.
   • v.70-Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.
5. Turn to God in times of trouble.
   • v. 143-Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.

More resources for Finding Delight in the Lord:

Bible Verses to Find Joy in Life

How To Focus On God’s Goodness

How to Seek and Pursue Peace

Teaching Our Children (& Ourselves) Positive Thinking