Delight -- A focus for living out "mission"

What does it mean to delight in someone or something? It means to be enraptured by something or to take great enjoyment in someone or something (dictionary.com). It means to play together (Proverbs 8:30-31). Picture this: A little boy scampers over to his daddy. He hits his daddy’s leg, wanting his full attention. This little tyke can’t wait to ask for his favorite thing. With unblinking eyes full of anticipation, he asks his daddy to make him laugh. That is his one request: make him laugh. His daddy knows exactly what he wants. As his daddy prepares to make him laugh, the boy's mouth spreads into an unhindered smile, eyes bursting with delight. Shrieks of laughter endlessly topple out of him until he can’t stand up. He delights in his daddy.

This video captures that shrieking laughter of a child delighting in his daddy. My nephew, Jude, loved watching his daddy run, head back and arms flailing. Jude became enraptured with delight (a bit more boisterously than I described in the opening paragraph)…

How does God delight? As I began looking into how God delights in the Bible, I found rich insights into God’s character. He delights in Himself. Jeremiah 9 reminded me that God delights in justice, righteousness, and kindness. He wants to see His order and His kingdom established; He wants to see reflections of Himself. So how does He delight in us? He made us reflections of Himself. Pretty neat.

How do I delight? In Jeremiah, God’s people, while in exile, need a heart change. YHWH wants them to repent, know Him, and share in His victory (Him reigning on earth). His people can share His victory by embracing Him and exuding Him to the nations. If they repented, God would equip them to bless the nations. “‘Let him who boasts boast about this: the he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:24)

In Isaiah 42, God calls for His people to serve Him as bearers of restoration to the nations amidst their exile to the Assyrians. Unfortunately, Israel hadn’t been delighting in God. But as they did delight in God, He would show His delight to the nations through them. They were blessed to be a blessing. What better picture of delight than blessing others as an extension of God’s delight in us. “‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.’” (Isaiah 42)

This is not something overwhelming we must obtain, but something we may freely, gratefully rest in through Jesus.