Delight: To Give Keen Enjoyment

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation… Isaiah 61:10a

Delight almost seems too whimsical to describe how I feel towards the Almighty One. Yet delight is kindred to joy and other words of bliss. He satisfies the deepest desires of my heart. He delights in His creation. He delights in His Servant and Son, Jesus, who He sent among us to extend His love and mercy. When I ponder the thought of delighting in the Lord, and then the reciprocal delight He sings over each of us, I am staggered by such thoughts. (See also Zephaniah 3:17). And this is the very sentiment the Father exclaims when He sends His approval on the day of His Son’s inauguration for His earthly ministry.

Take a glimpse of this scene: (Matthew 3:11-17)

Jesus comes to John at the Jordan River to be baptized. John is hesitant, and Jesus reminds him that this is to fulfill the scripted plan of God, so John acquiesces. In the hushed moment, as soon as the baptism ritual was over, Jesus wades out of the water back up onto the bank, where others are waiting for their turn to signify their desire to return to God, and little do they know that God is in their midst, preparing for His journey to become the sacrificial Lamb, who has come to take away the sins of the world. But heaven knows, and the Father orchestrates a moment in time that I imagine Jesus will replay in his heart on the hard days of the journey- the days of temptation, ridicule, scrutiny of the religious leaders and their mistreatment and misunderstanding. And ultimately the climb to His death on the cross.

But in this moment, the skies set the stage, possibly it was a cloudy day and the clouds part to allow the sun to shine through like a spotlight on Jesus, and next a supernatural being in the form of a dove, the Holiness of God, lights on Jesus, causing his countenance to glow as he delights in hearing the affirmation of God the Father in these beautiful words:

“This is my Son,” beams the Father, “whom I love” with tears in His eyes and a lump in His throat, and then His voice choked with emotion completes His sentence, “with Him I am well pleased.”

What joy to know the Savior…He has clothed us with garments of salvation… and restored our ability to delight in Him, to enjoy the life He has provided…nothing can rob us of His joy and the way He alone gladdens our hearts. Do not let anyone rob you of His joy, my friends. And do not let the trials, triumphs or tedium of this life rob you either.

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, O LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them." Psalm 35:9-11