A Christmas Delight
Psalm 37:4 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
I have been enjoying listening to the radio as they have been playing all the Christmas hits during this holiday season. One station with the help of the listeners and Chick-fil-a, have been granting Christmas wishes to people that had special needs. Each day the station would say what Chick-fil-a location to go to in order to get a Christmas wish card. They would also tell you that Santa will be there, and you can get your picture with him. Every time I heard them talk about going to Chick-fil-a and Santa, something on the inside of me wanted to get my picture taken with Santa. Real silly, huh? Well not for the Lord.
Vinings Worship Center, my church, is in fellowship with Good News Church. They are a church pastored by people from Korea. This church is part of a national organization that puts on “The Christmas Cantata“, which travels all over the world. The cantata is done in several different languages. Good News Church here in the Atlanta area was presenting a smaller version of “The Christmas Cantata” at their local church featuring their young people all the way to college age. Before the performance, the church had a dinner for the Pastors. As I walked into the church foyer, their sat Santa in his little village. My heart leaped with joy!! I immediately ask if I could take my picture with Santa. The camera immediately began to click.
As I reflected about all of this, I remembered how my heart really wanted to get a picture with Santa. Even though it was a small and seemingly insignificant desire, the Lord caused that desire to be filled. My heart filled with joy, gladness and thankfulness. The Lord cares about everything about us no matter how small.
The scripture says to delight yourself in the Lord. So, what does that mean exactly?
Noah Webster in his 1828 dictionary gives this definition for delight;
DELIGHT, noun
1. A high degree of pleasure, or satisfaction of mind; joy.
His delight is in the law of the Lord. Psalms 1:2.
2. That which gives great pleasure; that which affords delight
Titus was the delight of human kind.
DELIGHT is a more permanent pleasure than joy, and not dependent on sudden excitement.
DELIGHT, verb transitive
1. To affect with great pleasure; to please highly; to give or afford high satisfaction or joy; as, a beautiful landscape delights the eye; harmony delights the ear; the good conduct of children, and especially their piety, delights their parents.
2. To receive great pleasure in.
DELIGHT, verb intransitive To have or take great pleasure; to be greatly pleased or rejoiced; followed by in.
To delight yourself in the Lord just simply means to show pleasure towards the Lord. Delight can be seen for the Lord by praising Him and just to enjoy being in His presence. Your heart is filled with pleasure, joy and satisfaction for the Lord. In turn the Lord grants you the desires of his heart. When Jesus Christ does that, you will experience joy and happiness that cannot be explained. That is what I felt when I took my picture with Santa. I was so delighted that Jesus Christ made it possible.
I pray that during this Christmas season, you will experience the delight of the Lord in a greater measure. As you spend the Christmas Holiday with family and friends, take time to delight yourself in the Lord. Expect the Lord to give you your own special “Santa surprise.”
“Merry Christmas“