“I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.” vs16

Delight is part of serving God. We are not slaves motivated by fear and self-righteousness! We are sons who love God in the new creation. We are born again to serve with joy!

First, how could we not be joyful? He has redeemed us and put away our sins. When bad things happen, He has done it [Amos 3:6]. You are blessed with a clean conscience and a God that you can confess to. The believer is a winner in EVERY situation, because God is on his side [Rom 8:35-37]. In unbelief, we cannot see it, but by faith and the Spirit, we enter in.

Do not fear that serving God is mundane and boring; it delights the inner man with joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Secondly, do not waver as you seek joy. Stay in Christ. The Psalmist says,

I will not forget Your word. vs16

He keeps pressing in! He does not look and then turn away! He does not go to church and then to the pub for drunkenness. He doesn’t listen to the gospel, and then watch porn, or else joy will cease!

He enters his trials and temptations with Christ crucified and the help of the Spirit. He knows his GREATEST pleasure is obedience, so he leans on the Son. He takes forgiveness and cleansing. He receives Christ to conquer, not only when all is bright, but also in dark seasons. He holds on to faith in God’s goodness. He does not despair in tribulation but believes God’s love, wisdom, and sovereignty; he walks by faith, so he enjoys God.

The devil tempts us. He wants us to abandon Christ, and he offers us great pleasures! He also tempted our Savior, but we overcome by the same weapons: belief in the word and radical adherence to truth, which puts lasting joy above temporary pleasures.

“By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward.” [Heb 11:24-26]

Like Moses, see the sufferings of Christ - being with Him in trial and temptation - as greater riches than all the pleasures of Egypt. The unbeliever is not happier than God’s servant, so keep your joy in Him. The reward of His presence is worth it!

Thirdly, this delight is for every believer; it is not our job to be fearful, as if we must wait 5 years to be happy, as if we must work our way up into usefulness.

The thief on the cross had delight, when he was assured of Paradise! The tax collector had it, when he went home justified [Luke 18:13-14]. The woman at the well obtained delight THAT DAY, even though she had many husbands! Yes, the thief, the harlot, and the self righteous can have it in a moment, by the forgiveness of sins! You are obeying the gospel, when you believe, and your faith will overcome the world [1 John 5:4].

Rejoice in repentance and delight yourself in tears. In my own life, my heart repeatedly goes to where He found me, when He delivered me from Babylon.

Yet behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of Egypt.’ Instead they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and all the other lands to which He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their land that I gave to their forefathers. [Jer 16:14-15]

I was in bondage, and He made me so happy, when I was the least deserving man in the world. He will deliver you to the praise of His glory, and your heart will rejoice from experience!