Saturday, July 20, 2013

Delight Yourself

As I let God's Word sink into my being, often one particular word will draw me in.  In these moments I've learned not to rush...I've learned to linger there and enjoy what the Lord will teach me.  There's a sense of the Lord asking me to truly grasp the depth of what he is saying.

When I read the Gospels I'm always struck by how much time Jesus spends in prayer.  True God, and true man spending time with the Father...seeking his will in this challenging world.  

Mission, Jesus style teaches us to stay closely connected to the Father ...listening  ...understanding ...and allowing it to sink in deeply.


Delight yourself in the LORD
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.  PSALM 37:4

Delight...  It brings to mind enjoyment and a high degree of satisfaction.  

My mind trails to delightful, something that is highly pleasing.


Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe
I fell in love with skiing in my teens.  There is something about the beauty of the mountains, the purity of white snow that blankets the earth, the crispness of the air, and a feeling of being enveloped by a peaceful quietness as the snow absorbs extraneous sound.  Standing at the top of a slope and taking in the majesty of God's creation is truly a delight!

Today I'm drawn to understand more, so I linger and seek to understand why this word is speaking to me.  



The original Hebrew definition brings a deeper understanding
...delight yourself...to be soft or pliable.



As I am delighting, becoming soft and pliable and letting the Lord, His Word and his ways sink in, allowing Him to mold and shape shape me...His desires become mine!  

...featherweight...the challenges of life don't drag me down 

...unbreakable...I will not be broken by the burdens of this life because the Lord is sustaining me each day and has captured my heart for all eternity!




When asked "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?" Jesus responded, "It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."  LUKE 13:21



Will I linger and allow these words, "delight yourself," to sink in?  

Mission, Jesus style is calls me to prepare for work in the kingdom of God.  In what ways am I being soft and pliable before the Lord to let his Spirit work into me, like a batch of dough...heart, mind, body, and soul?  God wants His word to work into all of me, shaping me for His redemptive work in the world.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.  ROMANS 12:2

Learn to linger!


1 comment:

Constance said...

ah dear friend-- this post was a delight to my heart-- thank you