Delighting the Lord

I have never felt quite comfortable with the idea that sinful human beings could in any way delight our perfectly holy God. And yet, though God certainly takes no delight in our sin, it is a Biblical truth that God does at times delight in His children.

In fact, as I was flipping through my Bible the other day, I came across this:

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is His delight.” Proverbs 15:8

The word “upright” has the idea of being straight or correct—right. When Christ forgives our sins, He justifies us with God, making us right in His sight.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

As upright before the Lord through the blood of Christ, shed for our sins, our prayers delight God. Just think—God, who made things, who died to pay for your sin, who knows all about your faults and failings, is delighted when you pray to Him!

The “prayer of the upright” seems to me to especially highlight the those prayers we pray when we aren’t coming to God only for forgiveness. He delights in all our prayers, the stumbling ones we barely manage when our hearts are overwhelmed, the grateful ones that freely flow out when we are given a fresh reminder of God’s goodness to us.

And yes, God also delights in our heartfelt prayers for forgiveness, for Micah 7:18 says,

“Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy.”

Thinking about the reality that God takes delight in my prayers also got me to wondering what else God delights in. I did some quick searching in my Bible app, and here is what I came up with:

Proverbs 8:31 tells us that wisdom’s delight is with the sons of men. In other words, wisdom (and thus our all-wise God) takes delight in people. Of course, we know from other places in Scripture that God does not delight in evil, and He could not, or else He would not be holy or good or just. So this taking delight in people brings us back to the idea of the “upright” from Proverbs 15:8 again, doesn’t it?

Jeremiah gives us a clearer picture of what God delights in:

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

I suppose it could be debatable whether the “these things” in which the Lord delights refers to His nature or our understanding of it, but we are told to glory in knowing and understanding God, specifically His lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness. I think it’s fair to say, and certainly in line with the heart of God presented throughout Scripture, that God delights in His children knowing and understanding Him.

So, dear Reader, as you live your life with the Lord, take time to pray. Take time to get to know and understand our loving, just, righteous God.

And remember that as you do so, God delights in you!

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will save; He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. 

Zephaniah 3:17