Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. (Psalm 37:4)

Read: Leviticus 6:1-7:27, Mark 3:7-30, Psalm 37:1-11, Proverbs 10:3-4

Relate: I am not a foodie. In some ways, I wish I could be, but my priorities and my time and my budget all too often seem to be pulling me in other directions. I am a bit of a coffee snob. Good coffee only comes in a white (or occasionally red) cups with a green logo. If it isn’t Starbucks, it is only a tasteless caffeine intake I must endure. Far more important, however, is the opportunity to occasionally have a meal experience. Yes… experience. There is a place on the top of Galata tower that serves great food. Beyond that, it overlooks Istanbul, the most beautiful city on earth. To be up there enjoying a dinner with friends on a cloudless day while the sun sets over the Suleymaniye Mosque… Memories like that which I will enjoy for a lifetime are most definitely worth the five hour wait to get a table.

The Hebrew word which we translate “delight” is actually a command that we enjoy or consider exquisite whatever the subject is we are referring to. The word today is commonly used in association with Bar Mitzvahs and is also translated “enjoy” in Isaiah 58:13 (NLT). We are to enjoy God like an exquisite feast. We are to celebrate and treasure Him like one of those one a lifetime moments that we will treasure.

React: Now here’s the thing. I’ve caught myself when reading or thinking about this verse crying out, “God, I do love You. So why don’t You give me…” I am sure you can fill in the blank just as well as I can. Maybe it is that job you have been gunning for. Maybe it is the lifetime mate you have been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for God to bring your way. Maybe it is… We aren’t talking about the Rolls Royce, private jet, or that new yacht. We aren’t talking about the bigger or better or newer or more expensive version of whatever it is that we don’t really need and won’t be good for us (or our budget) anyways. No. We’re talking about things that would be considered good and decent, almost… necessities.

What David is saying is, “Make God the exquisite treasure of your heart and God will give you your heart’s longing.” Did you catch it? Let’s make it a little easier: “Want God more than anything and God will give you just what you want.” So when I hear someone else or find myself saying, “I am delighting in God so why hasn’t He…” The question we should be asking instead is, “Delighting in God… am I really?”

Respond: 

Dear God,
The only thing I truly want is You. Yes, there are other desires that may come and go. There are other things, even very good things, that bring temporary happiness and contentment. Thank You for those. Thank You for peppering my life with gems both obvious and hidden that make it so enjoyable and surprising. But those other things are nothing if I do not have You. Family and friendships, events and locations that might seem so memorable and desirable are nothing if we do not have You. You truly are the greatest delight and the highest pursuit of my life.
Amen.