Delighting in God! by James Smith, 1842

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart!” Psalm 37:4

Delighting in worldly things effectually prevents our delighting in God. Therefore it is often the case that the Lord strips us of these things or incapacitates us to enjoy them–to bring us back to delight in Himself.

He delights in His people and desires His people to delight in Him. To accomplish this, He has revealed Himself in the most amiable characters as a Husband, Friend, Brother, Savior, Shepherd, and so forth–all on purpose to endear Himself to us!

Surely if our hearts were right, we would delight in Him on account of

• His glorious perfections,
• His unalterable love,  
• the perfect atonement made for our sins,
• the promises made for our comfort and encouragement,
• the gift of the Holy Spirit,
• the communion we are urged to hold with Himself, and
• the glorious paradise of blessedness set before us –where we shall forever view the unfolding of His glories, enjoy the riches of His grace, and drink of the river of His pleasures!

Delight in the Lord

Sick Christian, Jesus bids you to delight in Him! Delight in Him as your Savior, Friend, and Brother! Delight in His person and glories, His perfect work, His glorious fullness, your salvation in Him, union to Him, and claim upon Him.
Oh, delight in Jesus!

You will have no permanent peace or solid satisfaction–but as you are delight in Him and rejoice in Him, saying, “You are my portion, O Lord!”

He who delights in God has the desires of His heart because they are in accordance with the purpose, promise, and pleasure of God.

Mind and Soul

The mind is thrown into the mold of God’s mind, and the soul cries from its inmost recesses, “Not my will, but may Your will be done!” Its pleasures are spiritual, permanent, and satisfactory. The desire for earthly things becomes very contracted; and little of the things of this poor world will satisfy a soul that is delighting in Jehovah.

Delighting in God always produces resignation and holy contentment. Whatever they have, they enjoy it as God’s undeserved gift and feel obligated and thankful for all. They would rather be conformed to God’s will, than have their own will and know that His appointments are best because they are infinitely wise, holy, and gracious. They can say, “I trust in You, O Lord, for You are my God! My times are in Your hand!” And they can find that godliness with contentment is great gain; and say with one of old, “The little that a righteous man has, is better than the riches of many wicked!” “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with turmoil.”

The presence, the promise, and the smile of God–are to them inestimably valuable, but other things are not so important. They seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other necessary things are added unto them. They live at the fountain when all the streams are dried up! And they delight in God when creatures fade and wither!

Delight in the Lord

O Lord! I would delight in Thee,
And on Your care depend;
To You in every trouble flee,
My best, my only Friend!

No good in creatures can be found,
But may be found in Thee;
I must have all things and abound,
While God is God to me!

From “The Believer’s Companion in Seasons of Affliction and Trouble” by James Smith, 1842