True Delight

 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

Photography not only affords me the opportunity to capture the beauty of the world around me, but it also enables me to go back again and again as I look at the (thousands of) photos stored on my devices to revisit the glory I experienced in the moment. And often as I look at the pictures, I see things I didn’t notice before.

Something moves within me when I behold the beauty and majesty of creation, whether it be on the grand scale of a Rocky Mountain sunrise or a tiny ladybug crawling on a plant. I find myself captivated by the level of detail and the interplay of colors. My heart is flooded with awe and wonder – peace, even – and I want more. More beauty. More more glory. More peace. 

It makes me wonder, where do I turn to satisfy the desires of my heart? As much as my heart is enthralled by the splendor of creation, as soon as I look away the feeling goes away. 

Where can I turn for true fulfillment?

“Delight yourself in the Lord,” said King David, “and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) There you have it. Delight yourself in the Lord. Find joy, happiness, meaning, purpose by turning to God. 

And it’s true. There is a radical reorientation that takes place when we delight in the Lord. When we turn to God as the source of our happiness, then the objects of our desires will change. The pursuit of things like wealth, popularity, worldly success will be transformed into the desire to love the Lord with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we delight in the Lord – when we turn to God in our pursuit of happiness and meaning – then our selfish desires and vain conceits will melt away, to be replaced with compassion, mercy, grace, and love. 

When we delight in the Lord, then the desires of our heart will be satisfied because the desires of our heart are now defined by our relationship with God. When we delight in the Lord, we find ourselves wanting the things that God wants for us.

Mind you, I’m still filled awe and wonder in the things I capture through the lens of my camera. But now, instead of the fleeting experience of the stirring in my heart at the beauty of creation, now I find myself filled with joy at the experience of witnessing the glory of the Creator. And that is much more fulfilling.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.