Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Think about what it really means to delight in something. It's about experiencing deep happiness and satisfaction in what brings you true joy. And the Bible teaches us that true joy is only found in God.
When you delight in God, it puts everything else into perspective. Your worries and struggles become smaller because you recognize that He's ultimately in control. It strengthens your relationship with Him, draws you closer to His presence, and helps you trust His promises completely.
Delighting in God also cultivates an attitude of gratitude. You start to see all the good things in your life as blessings from His love and care. It doesn't mean ignoring your responsibilities or pretending challenges don't exist. Instead, it's about finding the strength and wisdom in Him to face them with confidence and a positive outlook.
Truly, delighting in God leads to a full and meaningful life. It's where you'll find genuine satisfaction and discover the purpose He has for you. So, in the midst of all the demands and distractions of this world, remember that only in God will you find the delight your heart truly longs for.
As your words came to me, I took them into me like sweet food. I belong to you, Lord, God Almighty, so your words made me very happy.
They say, ‘He should trust in the Lord! The Lord should save him. If the Lord is really happy with him, the Lord should rescue him.’
You will lead me along the path of life. Because you are with me, I am very happy. I know that I will be with you for ever, and that makes me very happy!
I am very happy, because of what the Lord, my God, has done. I have so much joy! He has given salvation to me, like clothes that I can wear all the time. I have his righteousness as my coat! He makes me handsome, like a bridegroom who wears a priest's hat. He makes me beautiful, like a bride who wears her jewels.
He is happy when he obeys the Law of the Lord. He thinks about God's Law during the day and at night.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! When someone respects and obeys the Lord, God has blessed that person! He is happy to obey the Lord's commands.
Hannah prayed and she said, ‘I am very happy when I think about what the Lord has done. The Lord has made me very strong. I can laugh at my enemies because you, Lord, have saved me. That makes me very happy.
Nehemiah said to the people, ‘Go to your homes and eat some good food. Drink sweet drinks. Share your food and your drink with people who do not have enough for themselves. This is a holy day for our Lord, so do not be sad. The Lord will give you joy so that you can be strong.’
There is one thing that I have asked the Lord to do for me. This is the one thing that I really want: I want to live in the Lord's house all the days of my life. Then I will clearly see the Lord's beauty. I will pray to him in his temple.
They took their strong cities and their good land for themselves. The houses of those people were full of many good things. Your people could use the things that were already there. They had their wells, their vineyards, their olive trees and other fruit trees. They had as much food as they could eat, so they became fat. The many good things that you gave them made them very happy.
Taste and see that the Lord is good! God blesses people who turn to him to keep them safe.
If you do those things, you will be happy as you serve me, the Lord. I will give you all the things that you need. I will cause crops to grow on the land that I gave to your ancestor Jacob.’ That is the Lord's message.
I will be very happy because of who you are. I will sing to praise your name, Most High God.
If a horse is very strong, that does not please him. If a soldier is brave, that does not make him happy.
Do not spend money on anything that is not real food. You work hard for your money, so do not spend it on things which do not help you. Listen carefully to me. Eat something that will make you strong! Enjoy the best food!
The Lord says this about his people: ‘These people love to go wherever they want. They do not try to stay near to me. So they do not please me. Now I will remember the wrong things that they have done. I will punish them for their sins.’
When the Lord made all that happen, I was beside him as his faithful helper. I pleased him every day, and I was happy to be with him.The world that he had made gave me great joy. The people who lived on it made me happy.
Lord, there is no God like you. You forgive the sins of your people who remain, the people who belong to you. You do not continue to be angry for ever. Instead, you love us with a faithful love.
God is the one who causes us to hope for good things. I pray that God will bless you very much. I pray that he will cause you to be happy and to have peace in your minds. He will do this because you believe in him. As a result, God's Holy Spirit will make you strong with his power, so that you hope even more certainly.
The Lord's rules are always right. If we obey them, they make us really happy. The Lord's commands are completely good. They show us how to live in a good way.
If the way that somebody lives pleases the Lord, the Lord will lead him into good things.
You have never seen Jesus, but still you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe in him. As a result, you are very happy. There are no words to describe how happy you are.
I want you to be completely happy, in the same way that I myself am happy. That is why I have told you these things.
You are the safe place where I can hide. You keep me safe like a soldier's shield. I know that I can trust your word.
The things that you do, Lord, make me very happy. I sing with joy because of everything that your hands have made!
When the Lord's people serve him, it makes him happy. He is happy to help humble people, so that people respect them.
The Lord, your God, is with you. He is strong, like a brave soldier. He will save you. He will be very happy because he is pleased with you! He will give you new life because of his love. He will sing with joy because you make him happy!’
So all you people who belong to the Lord, praise him and be happy! All of you who are good, honest people, shout aloud because you are so happy!
You make me very happy, better than a feast of good food. I will sing happy songs to praise you.When I lie on my bed, I think about you all through the night.
Listen! God is the one who saves me! I will continue to trust him. I will not be afraid because the Lord himself makes me strong. He keeps me safe. He rescues us from our enemies.’When God does that, it will make you very happy. You will be safe, like someone who gets plenty of good water from a well to drink.
I will still sing to thank the Lord! I will be happy because God is the one who makes me safe.
But that is not everything! We are very happy now because of what God has done for us. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made this possible. It is because of him that we have now become God's friends.
My Christian friends, there are a few more things that I want to say. You belong to the Lord, so be happy! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again. And it will help to keep you safe.
I am very happy because of your faithful love. You see when I suffer. You know when I am very upset.
All you righteous people, be happy because of what the Lord has done. Thank him because he is holy.
You will continue to bless him for ever. Because you are very near to him, he is very happy.
Yes, Lord, as we follow the path of your justice, we wait for you to help us. We really want people to know that you are great. We want them to praise your name.
Always be happy.Pray at all times.Whatever may happen to you, continue to thank God. God wants you to do that, because you belong to Christ Jesus.
Then I will be happy because of what the Lord has done. I will be happy because he has made me safe.
I would rather be near your temple for one day than have a thousand days anywhere else. I would rather stand at the entrance of God's temple than live among wicked people.
But do not be happy because you have authority over bad spirits. God has written your names in his book in heaven. That is why you should be happy.’
You have truly blessed the people who know how to praise you, Lord. They know that you are pleased with them.They praise your name all the time. Your justice makes them happy.
If you do that, God will give you peace in your minds. That peace is so great that nobody can completely understand it. You will not worry or be afraid, because you belong to Christ Jesus.
I want to enjoy the good things that you give to the people that you have chosen. I want to be happy together with the nation of your people. I want to join with the people who belong to you, and praise you as you deserve.
Be happy, because you can trust God to do what he says. Be patient when you suffer. Always continue to pray.
But God's Spirit causes us to live in a different way. We love other people. We are happy and we have peace in our minds. We are patient, kind and good. People can trust us to do what is right.
The Lord makes me strong. He keeps me safe like a shield. I trust in him completely, and he has helped me. I am very happy, and I will thank him with my songs.
Until now, you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask God, and you will receive what you ask for. Then you will be completely happy.
He gives drink to people who are thirsty. He gives plenty of good things to hungry people.
I will shout aloud with joy, as I praise you with music! I will sing songs to praise you, because you have rescued me.
The person who knows that the God of Jacob will help him is a happy person! If he trusts in the Lord as his God, he is happy.
When God does that for a nation, the people are truly happy! If people know that the Lord is their God, they are truly happy!
The Lord rules as king! Everyone on earth should be happy! The people who live on the shore of the seas should sing with joy!
He has paid the price to rescue them, and they will return home along it. They will be happy and they will sing, as they go into Zion city. They will be very happy for ever. They will never again be sad or upset. All the time they will be completely happy.
When someone is happy, their face smiles. But when someone is sad, their spirit hurts.
But be happy about what I will create! Be happy for ever! I will create Jerusalem as a happy place. The people who live there will be full of joy.And Jerusalem will cause me to be happy. My people will give me joy. There will be no noise of people who are weeping. People will not be sad in Jerusalem again.
Now you have helped me to stop crying, so that I dance instead! I do not need to wear sackcloth, because I am no longer sad. Instead, you have made me very happy.
The robber only wants to take away my sheep. He wants to kill them. He comes only to destroy them. But I have come so that they can have true life. And so that they can have everything that they need.
You have shown me the paths that lead to life with you. I will be completely happy because you will be with me for ever.” ’
Surely, the Lord will comfort Zion's people. He will take care of the buildings that enemies have destroyed. Zion's land that is now a wilderness will become like the beautiful Garden of Eden. It will be the Lord's own garden! People will be happy again in Zion. They will sing with joy to thank God.
You have plenty of food in your house, to give them all that they need. You give them water from your river, that makes them happy when they drink it.
Yes, I am sure that you need me. For that reason, I know that I will continue to live among you. Then I will be able to help you to trust Christ even more. And that will make you even happier.
If you listen carefully to good teaching, you will have success. If you trust in the Lord, you are in a happy place.
Then I will go to your altar, to worship you, the God who makes me happy. You are my God and I will praise you there. I will sing to thank you, God, with my harp.
Lord, I am waiting for you to save me. Please do it soon! Your Law makes me very happy.
Humble people will live safely in the land. They will live in peace and they will enjoy good things.
Your faithful love for me is better than life itself. So I will speak aloud to praise you.
You, Lord, will make your nation stronger. You will cause your people to be very happy. They will be happy because you are with them. They will be like people who are happy at the time of harvest. They will be happy like soldiers who have won a battle, and who share their enemy's valuable things among themselves.
Anyone who finds wisdom is in a happy place! So is the person who has learned to understand things.
Show your faithful love to us every morning. Then we will sing with joy. We will be happy for as long as we live.
You are the one who keeps me safe, as a bird protects its babies under its wings. So I sing happy songs.
We belong to God's kingdom. The things that we eat and drink are not really important. These things are important: We should do what is right. We should have peace in our minds. We should be truly happy. God's Holy Spirit helps us to live like this.
They will sing about the things that you have done, because they see that you are great, Lord.
The rules that you have taught me are very valuable. They are more valuable to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
You have blessed each person that you have chosen. You let them live near to you in your home. The good things that are in your holy temple will make us very happy!
Come now! Let us sing together to worship the Lord! We will shout aloud to praise God, the strong Rock who makes us safe!So I was angry with those people all the time for 40 years. I said, “These people love to go the wrong way. They refuse to follow my ways.”I was very angry and I promised, “They will never come into my place of rest.” ’Let us come near to God and thank him! Let us sing songs to praise him, because we are so happy!
You believe in Christ, and you are his servants. That is like you are offering yourselves as a sacrifice to God. Perhaps I will soon have to die. Then my blood would be like a drink offering that I am pouring on your sacrifice to please God. So, if I have to die now, I will be happy. And we should all be happy together.Yes, it is right that you should be happy, and I will also be happy with you.
Boast about his holy name. Everybody who wants to worship the Lord should be very happy!
I want very much to go to the Lord's temple. I very much want to be in the temple yards. With all that I am, and with great joy, I sing to you, the God who lives for ever!
People who love your Law have peace in their minds. Nothing will cause them to fall down.
I ask myself, ‘Why am I so sad and upset?’ I must wait patiently for God to help me. Then I will praise my God once again, because he is the one who saves me.