What do you take pleasure in?
An Arizona sunset? A long-distance phone call from an old friend? Balancing a grandchild on your knee? Having the entire family at the dinner table for a meal?
Do you know that God wants to have a relationship with you in which you take pleasure in Him?
The psalmist David writes in Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord. This you can do in so many ways. You can take pleasure...being in God's house to receive His gifts of grace...kneeling at the communion rail to feast on Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of sins...in the assurance of God's love as found in the Gospels...celebrating old friendships and making new ones with Christ at the center...in being used by the Lord through meaningful service in the church.
A word from Holy Scripture can bring delight in the Lord. Lyrics from a great old hymn or a modern new one can produce a feeling of pleasure and contentment as we sing praises to our great and mighty God for His blessings. To take pleasure in your relationship with the Lord is to give thanks to God for His unlimited mercy and grace.
Psalm 37:4 comes with a promise - "and He will give you the desires of your heart." Don't misunderstand - this is not the promise of God's blank check with which you can do or have anything you want. David is simply noting that when a believer takes pleasure in their Lord, they seek to make His will their will and constantly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that their life is in line with the life that God gives - the new life through faith in Christ.
As you read, meditate and pray over this week's readings, heed the advice of the psalmist - Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart!
