Tag Archive

delight – take great pleasure in

I think that’s what we all want for Christmas – a heaping, helping of Delight! We don’t just want to experience Christmas; we want to take great pleasure in all the various aspects that this special season provides us with.

I think of children delighting in the Christmas tree, full of lights and ornaments, and of course, all the presents underneath. They delight in Santa at the mall, and the thought of Santa coming on Christmas eve.

As a child growing up on the Colorado prairie, I was always delighted if we had a snowstorm before Christmas, or better yet, a full on blizzard. When the snow stopped falling and the wind stopped blowing, it was always a blast to go play out in the snow drifts. It was delightful to break icicles off the eves and lick them and to throw snowballs at my sister.

Adults find delight at Christmas as well. Whether it be the annual church Christmas pageant or the performance of the Nutcracker. It could be standing up and singing the Hallelujah chorus, or singing Silent Night at a Christmas eve candle light service. A couple of different churches that my family attended over the years had “singing Christmas trees” which attracted big crowds and we all took pleasure in.

There is delight for everyone on Christmas day, gathered ’round the table full of good food, and more importantly, full of loved ones, some of whom we see so seldom.

There is great delight, especially at this time of year, in pondering the message of God in the manger; God with us; God made flesh and dwelling among us. Jesus who would save his people from their sins. Jesus who would redeem the world. Jesus who would bring light into darkness.

But we don’t have to wait until Christmas to find delight. In fact we can find it everyday in God’s Word. At least that is the idea I get from Psalm 119. The author of this Psalm finds it a wonderful delight to dig into and meditate on God’s decrees, statutes, commands and law:

16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

24 Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.

35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

47 I delight in your commands because I love them.

70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law.

77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.

92 If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

103 Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.

174 I long for your salvation, LORD, and your law gives me delight.

If we delight in God’s Word, it seems that we get counseling, compassion and salvation thrown in for free. Or we delight in the Word because we get counseling, compassion and salvation. And when we are afflicted, in trouble or in distress, we can go to God’s Word to not only find relief, but to enjoy delight. Let’s follow the Psalmists lead and begin to not just read the Scriptures, or just study the Scriptures, but take pleasure in the Word of God and remember the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us.

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Delighting in God’s Word leads us to delight in God, and delight in God drives away fear. David Jeremiah