“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”- Psalm 37:4

Have you ever thought about your motivation for meeting with God? Do you do it out of duty,  obligation, or is delight the reason to sit with Papa? The reason we chose to commune with God matters and when we operate out of delight, we will sense the Father’s love and in turn, feel closer to Him.

A Different Approach

This day I try something different during my morning devotions.  Instead of journaling my usual prayer requests and reading the Word, I chose to sit in God’s presence and sense His delight. It fills my heart with joy as I imagine my good Papa pleased with me. I revel in who He is and admire all the things I love about Him.  I praise Him for His goodness, faithfulness, love, peace, protection, provision, guidance, and wisdom.  

I meditate on all the beautiful qualities of His character and I rest in His love for me. In spite of my sin, bad habits, shortcomings, and failures, God delights in me and that truly makes me want to love and serve Him better. I’m amazed at the joy and peace that washes over my soul.  

This quiet morning, I don’t want anything from Him, except to be with Him. I sense His delight and my heart burst with anticipation.  I delight in Him and He delights in me. It’s the same feeling I have when I connect well with my husband or a close friend. It’s too wonderful to comprehend.

Delight: a high degree of gratification or pleasure; extreme satisfaction

Is delight a part of your relationship with God? So many times our motivation for spending time with God is duty or obligation. It’s what we do; we’re supposed to spend time with God.  Can you imagine how that must grieve God when we meet with Him because of obligation? It must break His heart.

Or how about the times we come to God with our long lists of needs, never stopping once to hear what God has to say. Have you ever basked in His goodness for the fun of it? Do you long to hear His voice of approval over you?

Graham Cooke says, “Meet with God for the sheer delight of it. God doesn’t want you to practice discipline. He wants you to practice delight. Discipline is the outcome of delight.”

When we approach God with delight, we don’t fear Him.  When we sense His delight, we can accept His gracious correction.  He’s most gentle and compassionate towards a heart that delights in Him.  

I don’t sense God’s disapproval when I sit with Him. Sure, I experience disappointment in myself for falling short, but I only sense God’s heart of love for me because I’ve learned to delight in Him. I want Him to correct me when I’ve done wrong because I come to Him from a place of deep approval. I want to please Him because of love, not because I’m afraid of Him.

How to delight in God

• Study His character: search the Word for passages that reveal His heart of love for you.

• Be diligent to understand your identity as a child of God.

• Discover how Jesus treated others. He treats you the same gentle way, as a friend.

• Understand your motivation for meeting with God. Our “why” is important.

• Practice vulnerability with God.  He is safe and can handle your truth.

• Understand God is ready and willing to meet you. He’s waiting to be invited close.

What if you scheduled some time with you and Papa where you sat with Him because you were happy to see Him? Imagine the goodness He would shower over your soul as you spent time together. When we practice delight, it builds intimacy with God.  

Dear Papa, Help me discern my motivation for meeting with You.  Do I avoid You because I think You’re mad at me, or am I selfish in my time with You not wanting to listen for Your voice?  I want to learn to delight in You and understand You approve of me with equal delight. Teach me how to delight in You so I can feel close to You. Amen.

Are you still struggling?

Maybe this will help.

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