Give Me My Delight

Susan K. Stewart is an analytical woman, so it doesn't surprise me she took time to think through why she felt so aimless. In this Relationship with God UPGRADE, she shares how she learned to delight in the Lord, and how that helped her learn to walk closer to His will.

"I’ve been wandering aimlessly recently. So many good projects, so many good causes, so many good books." Susan says. "While wandering I’ve been unsettled—feeling as though no matter the way I decide to go, I only get to a roadblock."

I (Dawn) think all Christ-followers feel a little aimless and unsettled sometimes. In my experience, I've usually tried to fill those times with busyness, but I never felt satisfied. As Susan explains, there's something far deeper I needed, and perhaps you do too.

Susan continues . . .

Often, I find myself just sitting in the path crying, "God, what is it You want me to do?"

Too often, my cry is, "Lord, You promised to give me the desires of my heart."

But, is that really what He promises?

Most of us are familiar with this "promise" in Psalm 37:4–5:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Oh, so many times I'm guilty of telling God what I want—the plans I have—and then waiting for Him to fulfill those plans.

Once He's done his part, I'll do my part: delight in Him.

• When I look back at my journal, I find I ask God to be the center of what I do.
• I see now why I wander aimlessly. I need to be at the center of what he is doing.

That does sound very spiritual and heaven-minded, but how does being at the center of what God's desires look every day? I’m not sure it means quietly meditating all day long or spending most of the day reading scripture.

If that is what God is leading you to do, go for it.

Those activities don't work well for my soul or, quite frankly, my pocketbook.

About two weeks into my search for God’s desire—for the way for me to delight myself in Him—I began to read once again St. Augustine’s Confessions.

Right there in the first book, first writing, was the answer.

"The thought of you [God] stirs him [humans] so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you."

This section is accompanied with Ps. 22:26:

“The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” (emphasis added)

WHOA.

What does that say again? "Those who seek him will praise the Lord!"

If I’m to know God’s plans for me, the desires He puts in my heart, I must praise him.

I will find God in my praise.

According to Noah Webster in his 1828 Dictionary of American English, delight is "a high degree of pleasure, or satisfaction of mind; joy." He adds, "'Delight is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.' When we are told to delight ourselves in the Lord, it means, 'to have or take great pleasure; to be greatly pleased or rejoiced.'"

For some, this kind of delight does come with hours of long meditation or reading the Bible, or even retreating away from the everyday world.

I've learned delight is found in praising God, my Lord.

When I do that, I’m at the center of what He made me to do—worship Him. This delighting can take place anytime, anyplace.

I can tell you my path became clearer as to what project to go forward with, what to drop.

I can also tell you I have managed to leave the trail God so carefully marks for me.

How? I forgot to praise Him.

How easy it is.

I ended up where He didn’t want me to be. (I know, God. That's what You told me in the first place, right?)

Getting the reward of our desires is possible with a few steps. These aren’t always easy, but we can repeat them as often as needed.

1. Seek God.

We are told to "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

We can’t receive from the Lord until we find Him, until we are where He is.

2. Love God.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

Once we’ve found God, we fall in love with him. Our natural tendency is to want to please those we love.

3. Commit to God.

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act" (Psalm 37:5).

For me this is pivotal.

When I trust God, and let him map the route, I don't have to wonder, "What next?"

4. Delight in God.

As stated in Psalm 37:4, above, delighting in the Lord is key to the fulfillment of desires.

5. Receive from God.

Too often we think the second half of the same verse means when we praise God enough, He’ll give us what we want.

I believe we're being told God will place a desire in our hearts to follow His lead, His plan.

Now that I'm seeking Him once again in my praise, the path is opening up.

I'm finding God's desires right where He left them for me—in praise.

Do you feel as though you’re wandering aimlessly? What do you need to do find God’s desires? How will you delight in the Lord?

Susan K. Stewart is Managing Editor/Nonfiction with Elk Lake Publishing where she teaches, writes, and edits non-fiction. Susan’s passion is to inspire readers with practical, real-world solutions. Her books include Science in the Kitchen, Preschool: At What Cost?, Harried Homeschoolers Handbook, and the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. Her latest book, Donkey Devos: Listening When God Speaks, is scheduled to be released spring 2021. You can learn more at her website.  

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Barbara Jackson at Pixabay.

Rest in the Midst

Author and teacher Ava Pennington loves to focus attention on our Father God and His Word, because she knows that changes lives. In this Attitude and Spiritual Life UPGRADE, she offers tips to help us rest in the Lord.

“A-a-a-a-h. Nothing like a bit of quiet rest after a long day or a tough week ... at least that’s what I’ve heard,” Ava says.

Like Ava, I (Dawn) am a busy writer on top of my regular job. I love the busyness of what God calls me to do, but I need to seek Him for rest cues so I won't get overwhelmed. I appreciate Ava's perspective.

She continues . . .

Actually, moments of quiet rest are rare in my life. Apart from my time with the Lord in the morning, most of my day is filled with activity and noise. Even when I’m in the car, often the first thing I do is turn on the radio.

But there’s something to be said for settling into an oasis of rest where my senses are not bombarded. And summer is the perfect season to seek those times.

So, in anticipation of summer, I’ve been looking optimistically at my stack of to-read books. I even purchased an outdoor lounge chair for that purpose.

Sadly, both the chair and the books are leftover from last summer. Clearly, I needed a different approach.

What does biblical rest look like?

Turns out, I needed to upgrade my understanding of R - E - S - T.

R - Release

Biblical rest is often misunderstood to mean sleeping or taking a break from work. But when Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 NIV), the original word for rest in this verse refers to refreshment while we work.

Resting in the Lord doesn’t mean we ignore our circumstances or run away from them. True rest comes in releasing control of those situations to the Most High God who is greater than any problem.

Besides, we’re really only releasing the illusion of control, since we were never in control to begin with!

E - Enjoy

After walking with the Lord for a lifetime, King David wrote these wise words in his old age: “Take delight in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4 NIV).

Delight in the things of this world is temporary. We were created for fellowship with God. Delighting in Him will last for eternity. We are able to rest when we know the source of true enjoyment that will last forever.

S - Stay

In John 15:4, Jesus reminds us to remain in Him. Using the illustration of a grapevine, He said, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (NIV).

Some days it’s easier for me to “remain” in Jesus than others. But the grapevine illustration reminds us that branches cannot attach, break away, and re-attach themselves at will. They need the continual flow of life-giving sap to live and produce fruit. True rest comes from a commitment to stay, or remain, in Christ, regardless of what life brings.

T - Trust

One of my favorite verses is, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV).  

It’s difficult to trust someone we don’t know. That’s why I’ve been drawn to the names and attributes of God in Scripture. The more we know what God says about Himself and experience His expression of those attributes in our own life, the easier it is to trust Him. True rest flows from that trust, despite our situations.

I’m still looking forward to sitting in my lounge chair and enjoying that stack of books this summer. But I’m also anticipating the refreshment that comes from resting in Christ in the midst of the work He called me to do. How about you?

In what area of life is the Lord calling you to rest in Him?

Ava Pennington is a multi-published author who has also written numerous magazine articles. She is a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers (AWSA) and a board member of the Christian Authors Network (CAN). Ava also teaches a weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class. She is a passionate speaker who engages audiences with relevant, enjoyable presentations. Visit her at AvaWrites.com.

Graphic adapted, Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.