In January, I had the privilege of spending three days with the Reconciled World Indian staff at a retreat just outside of Delhi. We gathered, played, reflected, prayed, and laughed. The hotel rooms were warm (it’s cold in Delhi in January!) and the food was abundant. The elevator in the hotel was all glass and had a neat panoramic view of the hotel (I enjoyed riding it up and down over and over).
The purpose of our retreat was to spend time together and to learn to rest and delight in the Lord. I think by God’s grace we accomplished that goal and much more.
Delight that leads to joy
As I review the pictures taken during our time together, I realize that our weekend was filled with joy. Joy in smiling faces. Joy in meditation and quiet before the Lord. Joy in conversations around dinner. Joy in laughter and fun. Joy in worship, singing, and dancing. Joy in testimony. Joy in prayer. Joy in family and friends.
It should come as no surprise that, as we sought to delight in the Lord together, the result was joy. For me, recognizing this great gift of joy we received together was a new perspective on the ever-growing understanding of what it means to delight in the Lord.
God is on our side
I believe the foundation of joy is found in understanding the God we pursue. Pursuing delight in the Lord is pursuing a God who is on our side. A God who is a loving Messiah that accepts us and frees us. A God that loves us, forgives us, shapes us, and delights in us (Psalms 108:13, 2 Cor. 3:17, Psalms 86:15, Zeph. 3:17). That’s joyful! The truth is, you can’t enjoy a God that you are not sure is for you. If you hold the underlying belief that the Lord is against you, is disappointed in you, or does not accept you, then you probably won’t experience much joy in Him. Trying to muster up a delight in a God like that is going to be impossible.
Thankfully, our Lord is for us (Romans 8:31) and accepts us for His praise (Romans 15:7). At our retreat, this is the God we pursued together and this is the God we experienced. The result was a time filled with His presence; a time of delight and joy.
His presence brings joy
The Bible says: “In the presence of the Lord we find the fullness of joy and pleasures evermore” (Psalms 16:11). A true pursuit of the Lord will yield His presence, and His presence will bring joy. What a gift God has given us. For the Indian team, our delight in the Lord brought about a retreat full of smiles, testimony, laughter, encouragement, rest, blessing, and joy.
John Piper defines joy as this: “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.” [1]
As we learn to delight in the Lord let us expect joy. Let us anticipate that our hearts will be stirred by the Holy Spirit who gives joy as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and causes us to see the incredible beauty of Christ and creation around us. I left the India retreat with a “good feeling” in my soul. I’m thankful for a God who accepts us, loves us, and gifts us with joy as we seek to delight in Him.
As we continue to explore and unpack this topic of delighting in the Lord, realize that your delight will yield joy. Expect it, savor it, and share it with others. May we as Reconciled World be a people who delight in the Lord, and may the joy we receive be a contagious testimony we share with the world around us.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope (joy) that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)
(Emphasis/boldness added)
Growth Point:
As we pursue delighting in the Lord we can expect to experience the presence of God and the joy that accompanies it.
Scripture Point:
Do a word and verse search on “joy.” Read the various verses that come up and reflect on the various ways that God promises His joy.
Action Point:
As you intentionally seek to delight in the Lord this week, observe how you experience joy. Praise God for this gift and share with one other person how your practice of delighting has lead you to joy.
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