DELIGHT IN THE LORD THROUGH TROUBLING TIMES
Psalms 37:1-4
We are bombarded every day with bad news. It\’s on the radio. The TV, the
Internet. Mass shootings, drive-by shootings, the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising
Gas prices, rising food prices, and empty shelves in the grocery stores are
Few of the things that fuel conversation. You wonder when will things get
Back to normal?
We can get so involved in the world situations, that we easily forget
That God is in the midst of all of this. While it looks like the world is spinning
Out of control, we should not forget that God is in control.
King David was a man that live in the midst of wars and family problems.
He recommends that We delight ourselves in the Lord.
Psalms 37:1-4
V:1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Don’t worry about evil folk. They won’t be here too long. We are going to have crazy presidents, crazy dictators, mass murders, and powerful people who push their special selfish interests at your expense.
The good news is they won’t be here too long. God says SOON they will die. God knows their end.
WE have must endure to the end of the SOON time
Jesus has promised us that He got this. Folk that troubles you won\’t be
Here too long. The promise is SOON they will be gone.
In the meantime, don’t worry.
WHAT TO DO WHILE GOD IS WORKING IT OUT?
V:3. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- TRUST IN THE LORD
DO GOOD
THE PROMISE: DWELL IN THE LAND
ENJOY SAFETY AND GOD’S PROVISIONS
- MENTAL ATTITUDE
DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD
THE PROMISE: HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART
Psalms 37 gives you confidence in God if you are one of his.
ARE YOU ONE OF GOD’S PEOPLE?
Jesus gave us the definition of God’s people
Mark 3:34-35
\”Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God\’s will is my brother and sister and mother.\”
YOU WERE CHOSEN TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS
John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.\”
GOD LOVES YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLING SITUATIONS
GOD WANTS YOU TO BE DELIGHTED IN THE TROUBLING SITUATIONS
I want to focus on the word delight
There are two words in the Hebrew language that the describe delight
Hepes to bend toward
Rasa to take pleasure in
1 Samuel 15:22
\”Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
God delights in YOUR obedience
Proverbs 12:22-23
The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in men who are truthful.
God delights in us when we are truthful
Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life
Proverbs 15:8
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
GOD DELIGHTS IN OUR PRAYERS
We are encouraged to delight in what delights the Lord
Psalms 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law, he meditates day and night.
For in my inner being I delight in God\’s law.
WHAT DOES DELIGHT IN GOD LOOK LIKE?
Delighting in God consists of the following things:
- Loving God
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: \”\’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\’
I love my wife. I say it to her several times a day.
I need to develop the habit of saying the same to the Father.
I LOVE YOU FATHER
- Esteeming Christ
Jesus said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.
Life is not about us.
When we make life about ourselves, we are blind to everything
Around us..
When we make life about Jesus, we see the world all its
Possibilities.
- Thinking about God
We are bombarded all day with what’s going on in the world.
The world’s activities are on the radio, the tv, and the internet.
If our conversations are about what’s going on around us,
We can easily forget God is involved.
When we put God in the conversation about the world, we
Begin to see that God has a purpose for what\’s going on.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose
- Desiring Fellowship
We can only have fellowship in the Lord when we have right standing with Him. Our soul desire should be to have fellowship with Him because it is through fellowship that we know His love.
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all
sin.
(f) Striving to Please God
It should be our soul desire to please the Lord
Colossians 1:10
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and
may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing
in the knowledge of God.
When we please God, He makes available to us the desires of our hearts.
DELIGHTING IN GOD DOES FOUR THINGS
(a) It unites us with Christ
(b) It lifts us above ourselves
(c) It brings us to adore Christ
(d) It helps the soul towards more spiritual and holy life.
DELIGHTING IN GOD AFFECTS OUR PRAYERS
(a) Increased Boldness in Prayer
He that has his delight fixed on God has the boldness to speak to Him (Job 22:26).
(b) Increased Prayer
Delight in God will help a Christian to multiply his prayers (Job 22:27).
(c) Increased Fervency in Prayer
Delight in God will help with great fervency in prayer. The word rendered prayer may also be rendered as “many strong prayers.”
(d) Increased Freedom in Prayer
Delighting in God will help a Christian to tell all his mind to Him (Job 22:27).
THE GREATNESS OF DELIGHTING IN GOD
- DELIGHTING IN GOD IS INCOMPARABLE
Psalms 111:2-3
Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- DELIGHTING IN GOD MAKES DUTY PLEASANT
Psalms 112:1
Praise the Lord.
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who finds great delight in his commands.
- DELIGHTING IN GOD HELPS US BEAR AFFLICTION
Psalms 119:92
if your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
- DELIGHTING IN GOD has great benEfits
Isaiah 61:10
I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
NIV
- DELIGHTING IN GOD GIVES US THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS
Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
My brothers and sisters
Live delighting yourself in the lord
CLASS EXERCISE
hOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOU dELIGHT IN THE LORD?
ONCE A DAY, oNCE A wEEK , ONCE A YEAR
hOW DO YOU DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD?
dOES dELIGHTING yOURSELF IN THE lORD MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM nUMBER OF TIMES TO SAY I LOVE YOU LORD?
WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF TIMES TO SAY I LOVE YOU?
IS DELIGHTING YOURSELF SELFISH?
rEV. m. mITCHELL
