Fast Day 7: Fast as a Delight

God promises to satisfy the desires of your heart. Really? But what if my desires are a little off His path? What if my desires are selfish? What if the desires of my heart are not clear to me? What if the desires of my heart aren’t necessarily good for other people in my life? What if I don’t feel like fasting today? If you are delighting in God, your desires will be right.

Good questions! Let’s look at the rest of Scripture surrounding that promise. Context is everything. There are absolutely absolutes in our faith in Him, because He is unwavering, but they will stand up for us upon our faith in Him. The pivotal statement in the Psalms passage below is this: Delight in the Lord and He will satisfy the desires of your heart.

Do not get upset because of evildoers. Do not be envious of wrongdoers. They will wither quickly like the grass and decay like the green plants. Trust in the LORD and do good. You will live safely in the land with success. Delight in the LORD and He will satisfy the desires of your heart. Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust also in Him, and He will help you. He will validate your life in the light of the dawn and the justice of your cause in the noonday sun. Rest in the presence of the LORD and wait patiently for Him to act. Psalms 37: 3-7

Dictionary.com defines delight in this way: 1 a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy, rapture. 2 (when used with an object) to give great pleasure, satisfaction or enjoyment to, to please highly.

So, when we delight in the Lord (the object) as we are fasting, we are giving great satisfaction and enjoyment to Him. We are pleasing Him highly! Picture someone who is delighted. They have a big smile on their face. Their eyes are lit up. They can’t sit down and they dance around. They can’t contain their joy without expressing it verbally.

What else might you notice about them?

How do you think God expresses His delight?

Let’s look at the bigger context:

What must we do in response to evil and wrongdoing? Do not get upset. Do not be envious. Trust in the Lord. Do good. Delight in the Lord. Commit to the Lord. Rest in the Lord. Wait for the Lord.

As we pay attention to these things and wait upon Him as we fast, what blessings does the Lord give us? Safety. Success. Satisfaction. Help. Validation. He will act.

Whatever we are asked to do, it is to be done in relationship with the Lord. Not in relationship with bad people. We must still do good. So, no cursing, revenge, bitterness, I told you so’s or broadcasting bad things about others.

God will keep us safe and satisfied. He will help us and act for us. He will validate the righteous desires of our heart that come from finding mutual delight with each other. So those what if questions are irrelevant, if we are in delight with the Lord.

Take advantage of your fasting time to delight in Him.

What might you do to express your delight in God?

Faithful God, help me find a way to show my delight in You. I am grateful for the blessings You have given me, but help me see more of You in my life. I want to live in delight of You alone. Amen.