Psalms 37 starts out with some pretty strong commands: Trust in the Lord, Take delight in the Lord, Commit your way to the Lord. Clearly, the Lord desires and even expects us to depend upon Him. Sandwiched in the middle is a pretty odd command, don’t you think? Trust and commit – those are pretty easy to grab onto, but delight?
What thoughts come to mind when you think about delight? Satisfaction, glee, joy, pleasure, enchantment. These are the words that describe the beautiful things I’m drawn to. I am delighted by things like flowers. They bring pleasure, smiles, satisfaction to my soul. I am drawn to their creator and marvel at the things His hands have made and that delight settles a little deeper into my spirit.
This verse tells me to take that same thought of being captivated by can and should be directed to the Lord. That Daddy that wants me to depend on Him. He wants to be my source of satisfaction, pleasure, joy, and enchantment. That the Savior that wants to rescue me from the failures I will most certainly face when I delight myself in things of this world. It tells me that Jesus that wants to teach me everything and can satisfy my curiosity. It tells me that Holy Spirit that wants to comfort me when the desires are left unmet by friends, family, etc.
As I pause to consider all my desires, I KNOW that they have already been met. How do I know that? Because there isn’t anything else I want, I can’t think of a single thing that my heart desires beyond that hand in hand, eye to eye, soul to soul, spirit to spirit connection with my LORD.
Sure, I could create a Christmas list, or a wish list. Maybe new sandals that are a little bit dressier than the ones I have but still comfortable. Oh, I could really enjoy a new set of colorful kitchen towels. Hmmm a better one, I would really love for some pounds to melt away from my mid-section, magically of course.
However, these things are here today and gone tomorrow. Honestly, every single idea I come up with just pales and wilts, when I think of delighting myself in the Lord. Nothing of this world can possibly compare.