Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (ESV)
He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. Psalm 18:19 (NLT)
Heavenly Father, the command to delight ourselves in you is both astonishing and liberating. It’s astonishing, because you want us to find great joy in yourself—a joy that transcends circumstances, disappointments, and suffering. And it’s liberating, because you aren’t the means to some other end. The more we delight in you, the more we discover you are the deepest desire of our hearts.
We don’t want to settle for a status quo, nice, and “safe” knowledge of you, Father. How can we more fully delight in you? Only through the riches of the gospel can our hearts learn to sing with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:25-26)
So, take us “further up and further in”—indeed, carry us deeper into the heart-liberating, mind-transforming, whole-being-healing good news of your grace for us in Jesus. Help us actually believe you love us as much as you love Jesus, and that you delight in us to the same degree you delight in Jesus.
Father, free us wanting (and at times, demanding) anything other or more than you—even the most commendable things at the top of our prayer lists. Nothing and no one has to change for us to rest, rejoice, even revel in you. This is our profession; make it our possession.
Thank you for all the good gifts you give us, Father, but especially the gift of yourself. You’re not only our portion, but our whole inheritance. You don’t just satisfy us; you’re the whole banquet. Your love doesn’t just give us life; it’s better than life. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ beautiful and sufficient name.
