Do I Delight In God?

Do I delight in God?  I know I should, Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" and Psalm 37:4 tells us, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  And after all, He delights in me!  But do I?  Am I pleased with God, His rule and reign? 

At one time in my life I am not sure I could have answered this question in the affirmative, "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " (1 John 4:18)  Knowing that He delights in me, that He sees me as I am and still loves me (Psalm 139) and that He will never leave nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6) , has allowed me to open my heart to Him with abandon.  I am free to delight in Him, enjoy Him and give myself to Him. 

Though I am far from perfected, the hard things of life have refined me and brought me to say, " Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.  I will praise you with the lyre,   O God, my God." (Psalm 43:4) 

I am pleased with God, not because he does for me all that I want, but because of His character (Psalm 33:4; 145:13,17).  "The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love."  (Psalm 33:5)  He has brought good to me and continually works for my good (Romans 8:28).  He grants me peace even when I cannot understand (Philippians 4:4-9).  "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11)  It is a delight in God Himself, not in His gifts, though I thank Him for them.  For if we delight in His gifts alone, we will cease delighting in Him when we don't get our way.  "But may all who seek you, rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say,  “The Lord is great!” (Psalm 70:4)

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians was, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)  God is love and as we love we are like Him.  In Christ all the fullness of God dwells and in Him we have been made complete.  Christ in us is our hope of glory.  (Colossians 1:13-28, 2:6-12)  Through the empowerment of His Holy Spirit we can love and delight in God.  And in so doing, this love and delight that is beyond what we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20), will spill over onto those around us.

As Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so I pray for you.  May you know the love of God and delight in Him, becoming the praise of His glory!