David was the expert.
He knew how to do it more than anyone we read about in the Bible.
…and he lived a life of great blessing because of it.
Royal, handsome and a fearless warrior, he never let pride keep him from the overwhelming presence of God that comes to those who DELIGHT in Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. And he lived out Psalm 37:4 to the fullest, which says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV).
To delight yourself in something is to get great pleasure from it—and show it!
In 1 Chronicles 16:7-36, David delivered a psalm to the Lord in recognition of great victories he had experienced at the hand of God’s favor. In it, he listed many ways he chose to delight in the Lord.
We can take a cue from David and learn to delight in the Lord as he did. As a lover and seeker of Almighty God, you can learn to delight in the Lord like David and bless Him as He has blessed you. In doing so, you’ll put yourself in position to hear from Him more and receive from Him more.
Taken from David’s Psalm as well as elsewhere in Scripture—here is our list of 21 ways to delight in the Lord.
- Write your own personal psalm to Him.
- Dance before Him.
- Thank Him for the long list of things He’s done for you.
- Memorize scripture.
- Encourage someone.
- Sing to Him.
- Love those who are unkind to you.
- Find a way to serve a widow or orphan in your community.
- Read your Bible every morning.
- Listen to Him.
- Praise Him every day.
- Worship at home and in the car—not just at church.
- Listen to teachings to understand Him more.
- Try to please Him with every thought and word.
- Tell Him you love Him.
- Believe His promises.
- Love your spouse.
- Honor Him with your money (tithe and give).
- Put Him first—above family, friends, media.
- Guard your heart from social media, news, secular TV and magazines.
- Talk about what the Lord has done for you at every opportunity.
When you delight yourself in the Lord, not only will you bless Him and feel closer to Him, but His Word says that then He will give you the desires of your heart. Delighting yourself in the Alpha, Omega, First and Last, Beginning and End is not a one-time experience—it is a lifestyle! One you will never regret.
I am reminded of king David bringing the ark of The LORD into Jesusalem (long account before this!) And essentially losing his mind for The LORD!
And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
Michal’s (daughter of Saul) Contempt for David
But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.
When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!”
2 Samuel 6:14-22 NLT
After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD!
The LORD’s hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors. When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god.” So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?” They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.9But after they had moved it, the LORD’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.”11So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to Heaven.
1 Samuel 5: 1,4-12
https://www.calvarypalosverdes.com/blog/2samuel6