Delighting in the Lord
In Old Testament times, the people of God would plead for God’s favor and forgiveness by offering a sacrifice—usually a burnt offering. God would only be pleased with the sacrifice if it was offered correctly—every “I” dotted and every “T” crossed. But now in Romans we are given instructions for a new kind of sacrifice—whole, hearted devotion. When we offer ourselves, the bible says that it is acceptable, or delightful to God.
But the passage continues with verse 2. “ And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Once you make the decision to surrender to the will of God, He wants to show you what His will actually is, and we can learn that will through the instructions given in verse 2. Don’t continue to be like the world, but let the words and the love of Christ renew your mind. That sounds a lot like Psalm 119. Then you will know the things that God takes delight in for you.
So, in Psalms 37:4 we read that He will actually give us the things that we have been asking for. Now in Romans 12 we read that we can actually know what He wants for us. And we can begin to ask for the things that He desires. You see, it is a two way street. Remember in John chapter 4 that God is seeking people who will truly worship. If delight is a part of worship, then we could say that God is seeking people who will delight in Him. And when He finds those people, He will immediately return the favor and delight over us.
What an awesome truth to know that God actually delights in us more than we could ever delight in Him. His delight means favor, grace, and acceptance. His delight means blessing, and His delight means abundance.
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This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.