A Prayer to Delight Yourself in the Lord
By Victoria Riollano
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
I have to be honest. There are many things that bring me delight. The sound of a baby’s laugh. The gritty feeling of sand under my feet at a bright blue beach. A warm hug from one of my children. The words, “I love you,” as they flow from the lips of my husband.
The smell of fresh brownies, the sound of my favorite worship band, and seeing long-lost friends can create moments of intense joy. The truth is, I have mastered the art of finding happiness in everyday external pleasures. Yet, when I first read the words “Delight yourself in the Lord,” I was met with unexpected questions. What does it mean to find delight or extreme excitement as it concerns the Lord?
If I can be honest, for many years, how I viewed the Lord at any given moment was based on my external circumstances. When things were going well, I was thrilled to brag about Him and tell others about His goodness. Yet, when things were more difficult and my expectations weren’t met, I wondered where the Lord was in this situation. Did He not see my peril or care about my struggles? In these moments, when I lost loved ones, when sickness struck my home, when friends were no longer friends, year after year, I made the choice to no longer delight.
After years of choosing to have joy in the Lord, only when He was following my lead the Lord brought conviction. My ways were like a child who loved a parent only when it was convenient. As a mother, this broke my heart as I realized the error of being a Christian who used God for his blessings but rejected Him when corrections or even trials arose. This is not delighting in the Lord.
Today, my prayer for you is that you find your joy in the Lord. No matter what the situation looks like around you, you make the choice to run to Him. I have found over and over that when we choose to love the Lord not for what He can do or is doing in our lives but for the essence of who He is, we can’t help but delight in Him. He is the one who gave us breath in our bodies. He is the one who knows our thoughts and who has a plan for our lives. He is the one who died for us that we may have eternal life. The Lord is a constant, our comfort, and though He is majestic enough to put the stars in the sky, He calls us friends. This, my friend, should bring us unspeakable joy.
Let’s pray.
Lord, I thank You for who You are. I praise Your wonderful works. For You are the Creator of all, yet so intimately near. Forgive me for the times that I’ve made You an afterthought. Teach me to come to You with the humility and joy of a child. God, convict me when I become more excited about worldly pleasures than following Your will. Father, I delight in You. Help me to never forget just how good You are. May I delight in You all the days of my life! In Jesus' name, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/tommaso79
Victoria Riollano is a mother of eight, veteran spouse, Psychology professor, and doctoral student, Victoria has learned the art of balancing family and accomplishing God’s ultimate purpose for her life. Victoria holds an MA in Child Psychology and is the author of two books- The Victory Walk: A 21-Day Devotional on Living a Victorious Life and Warrior Mother: Equipping Your Heart to Fight for Your Family’s Faith. When she is not writing, you can find her serving in her local church as the pastor’s wife, worship leader, and youth pastor. Ultimately, she desires to empower women to live a life of victory, hope, and love. You can connect with Victoria at www.victoryspeaks.org and on social media at Victory Speaks by Victoria Riollano on Facebook and @myvictoryspeaks on Instagram.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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