Real Delight
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Have you ever noticed that we often only talk to God when we need something? It’s a common human tendency to treat the Creator like a cosmic vending machine insert prayer, receive blessing. But what if the real goal isn’t the blessing itself, but the Source?
In Psalm 37:4, we are given a profound promise: "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of your heart." For a long time, I looked at that verse as a transactional formula. If I
"delight" enough, I get what I want. I realize that when you truly delight in the Lord, He doesn’t just give you what you want, He changes what you want.
The Müller Model of Prayer I’m reminded of George Müller, a man in the 1800s who took this verse to heart in a radical way. Müller was deeply moved by the thousands of orphans living on the streets of Bristol, England. He decided to build orphanages to care for them, but he made a startling decision: he would never ask a single person for money.
Instead, Müller’s first priority every morning was what he called "getting his soul happy in the Lord." Before he tackled the "orphanage problem," he spent hours in Scripture and prayer, delighting in God’s character. He knew that if his heart was aligned with God’s heart, the provision would follow.
The result? Over his lifetime, millions were sent to him without a single solicitation. He built five massive orphan houses and cared for over 10,000 children. There were mornings when they had no food for breakfast, yet because Müller’s delight was in a faithful Provider, he would have the children sit at empty tables and thank God for the meal. Every single time, a knock would come at the door from a baker or a milkman at just the right moment.
The Problem: We try to fill a "God-sized" hole with "snack-sized" delights (entertainment/comfort).
The Shift: Delight is a verb. It is the active pursuit of God's heart.
The Reward: When God is the prize, the "desires of our heart" are finally satisfied because we realize He is the desire.
When we turn away from doing our own pleasure and instead embrace the Sabbath. We see our relationship with God as a "delight," we find ourselves riding on the "high places of the earth." Don't miss the Creator, worrying about the world. Delight in Him, and watch how He transforms your desires from the inside out.
Questions for Reflection:
Do you find yourself only talking to God when you have a "need" to be met?
What would it look like to "purpose to find Delight in the Lord" tomorrow?
How Did this Word Come Alive to you in the message?
Video Link https://youtu.be/TYOwTYjaa7k
1. Do you find yourself only talking to God when you have a "need" to be met?
Yes, certainly for things for myself, I'm guilty of this. And there's a subtle trap of "need" that I can fall into in praying what I think He wants to hear or praying what I think others would want me to pray (even in my private times). Like I know I should pray for this person or my city or workplace, whatever it is. End up saying: God help this person or please do this other thing (that if it happened, I would think I did it in His name, without knowing Him more). Just bonkers when I do that, out of whack,…
What a great practical message about delighting in the Lord! Loved it.
Do you find yourself only talking to God when you have a "need" to be met?
No. However I find myself talking to God when others have needs that need to be met instead of talking to Him about just "bless them" Lord.
What would it look like to "purpose to find Delight in the Lord" tomorrow?
For me, it would be spending more alone time with Him before work instead of feeling "rushed" to "delight in Him" on my way to work. There would be more moments to just pause and Thank Him for what He has done and is currently doing in my life and other…
1. Do you find yourself only talking to God when you have a "need" to be met?
I remember during one of my pre-martial counseling sessions in 2023, Rev Ryan made a statement that completely changed my perspective on this topic. He said something like, “If you are only praying to God about your own wants and needs, you are praying to the wrong god.” This statement actually made me re-evaluate some things. My first thought was, “What do I even pray about then?” I had a very self-centered view on prayer in my past. I have shifted that focus to, God, help me, help You, help someone else. Sometimes the "old man" tries to focus on self again, but…
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