When I Don't Delight in God's Word
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.—Ps. 1:1-2
When you read Psalm 1:1-2, what do you feel?
Excited, enthusiastic? Yes! I want to be that kind of person!
Or discouraged—or even guilty? (Especially if we remember that “the law of the Lord” is the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures—and the ones we tend to skip!)
We understand the part about not hanging out with evildoers, but does this mean that unless I am totally in love with God’s Word and constantly thinking about it that I’m disqualified from God’s blessing?
Let’s Be Honest: I Don’t Really Delight in God’s Word
As a rule follower, I struggled with verse 2 because I knew this did not truly describe me. Sure, I might have a good day once in a while and really enjoy the Bible reading for the day.
But meditating day and night? I was fortunate to remember anything once the first, “Mom!” sounded and the day began. Poof! Everything I just read slipped out of my head as I start barking orders and putting out fires.
Instead of being a delight, I began to feel like God’s Word was a dark cloud hanging over me with its impossible commands. And truthfully (since we’re being honest), sometimes it is boring as I slog through lists of names or laws that don’t pertain to us now. At other times, I’m just plain confused (prophets or Revelation, anyone?)!
So what do you do when you don’t delight in God’s Word?
Since we’re telling the truth, let’s keep going with it.
There’s a reason why we don’t delight in God’s Word, and it’s this: This psalm is not talking about us. We are not the righteous man Psalm 1 describes.
Wait a minute. We’re not?
Sure, we might be able to avoid evil. We might not fraternize with mockers.
But naturally, on our own, there is no one righteous, not even one. Paul makes it clear that neither Jew nor Gentile understands or seeks after God (Rom. 3:10, 11).
In our own flesh, we do not have any desire or delight in God. And that’s the honest truth.
There is Only One Righteous Man Who Does
If any of us delight in God’s Word, it is because we are united by faith with the only righteous man who does.
He alone walks the paths of righteousness instead of consorting with sinners (v. 1). Only Jesus can fit the description of one who meditates on God’s law, day and night (v. 2). He is the tree firmly planted by streams of water, laden with fruit, lush with green leaves, and prosperous in all he does (v. 3).
Psalm 1:1-3 is not describing us!
Because we are not naturally righteous people like Christ, we will struggle with delighting in God’s Word. This struggle comes because we are not fully changed yet. We still live in a body that wants its own way (Rom. 7:15, 21-25)
Though we may have tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8), we are still on this side of eternity. We still inhabit bodies of flesh that are tempted by sin, worry, or the other enticements around us that seem so much more interesting.
Sin hasn’t disappeared, even though it no longer rules over us (Rom. 6:5-11). Therefore, we will always wrestle with our old ways as we groan and long for what God promises us (Rom. 8:20-23).
If You Are in Him, You Can Learn to Delight in His Word
Despite our groaning, however, there is hope if we remember this: As believers, we are now united with Christ (Rom. 6:5). So what does that have to do with anything?
When we believed in the Gospel of truth, something amazing happened. With our salvation from sin also came a new identity.
Steven Lawson explains, “To be in Christ, first of all, means that we have a saving relationship with Christ and are brought into union and communion with Him in such a way that, as we are in Christ, what is true of Christ becomes true of us. His grace and His resources become our experience and possession.”
This union with Christ is what Dane Ortlund, in his book, Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners, calls the “umbrella doctrine.” When we responded in faith to God’s invitation of salvation, we received His righteousness as He took our sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Our once dead spirits are made alive (Eph. 2:4, 5).
If we identify with the righteous man in Psalm 1, it is certainly not because we ourselves are righteous. It is because we are in Him who is. It is this new man (or woman), in Christ, that delights in God’s Word.
Like a little boy wearing the shoulder pads of a football player, we have been gifted a new identity that sometimes seems too big for us.
But that is who we are. And God is in the business of transforming us into the image of our Savior (Rom. 8:29). He will not stop until He gets there (Phil. 1:6).
Even though it may run contrary to our natural inclinations, we are now able to grow in that delight. We have the capacity to become like Christ, the truly righteous man of Psalm 1. If we forget this, we will try to live out this verse in our own strength, and we will either feel defeated in failure or prideful of our efforts.
How You Can Grow in Delight
Because we become the righteous person described in Psalm 1 only by virtue with our union with Christ, we don’t need to stress ourselves out, trying to drum up that desire by our own efforts. It doesn’t work that way.
Rather, it comes as we make the habit of communing with Him and leaning into that union. We learn to breathe. When we do, He gets bigger, even as we get smaller.
So, how do we participate in growing in delight?
Ask for it.
We ask for things we do not have. When we do this, we admit that we don’t have it in ourselves and need help. This dependence delights God, and as thisi request is directly in line with His will, we can trust that He will answer it in His time. .
Practice it, whether you feel delight or not.
From personal experience, I have found that if I wait for the feeling as the condition to be in God’s Word, then I only prolong that feeling. I am actually feeding my sluggishness and lack of desire!
But when I practice the actions that lead to delight, I feed the growth of that desire. This is because I am living out in faith who I truly am, even if I don’t feel like it. I am in Him—and He delights in God’s Word, so I, by the power of the Spirit, do likewise.
When we live in line with who we are, we put ourselves in what my pastor calls His “pathways of grace.” When we skip the Bible reading or prayer because we don’t feel like it, how can we expect to even grow? We’re not even available to receive the grace He desires to grant!
Be creative.
Not all of us are the same. We do not relate to God in the same way. And yet, we often think that we must all practice the disciplines alike.
Not so! As a parent, I relate to each of my children in a different way. Some simply need my physical companionship. Some like to watch movies with a bowl of popcorn. Some love to hear a story.
As a Father, God is no different. Think about the ways that you feel closest to God. Some of you may enjoy being outdoors with Him. Some may enjoy the creative arts of music or sketching. Some (like me) enjoy study.
Just as I would not “rate” my kids as better or worse based on their personal preferences, I don’t believe God does either. The goal is relationship, not performance.
So be creative! If you enjoy taking a walk and listening to His Word, then let that be your way of meeting with Him. If you enjoy playing an instrument as a way to pray, then do it! There is no rule against finding your own way to enjoy the Lord.
Start small and work up.
There is also no rule that says you must spend an hour a day. Instead, just start with where you are and move up. We often set such high ideals that we fail before we even start.
So if you are a new mother with a baby, why not simply commit to praying as you nurse ? Cut yourself some slack with the midnight feeding, but why not spend time praying a line of the Lord’s prayer (or some other prayer from the Bible) each feeding session? (You’ll get a lot of chances to practice!) This way, you are both praying and spending time in God’s Word at the same time.
So start where you are, not where you aren’t. Move forward, even if it feels like a snail’s pace. Like the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.
How Will You Grow in Delight This Year?
It’s natural to struggle with Psalm 1:2. It describes an ideal that none of us can reach.
But for those of us in Christ, we are now given a new relationship with the Father, and the Holy Spirit within us to empower us.
Ask Him to help you nurture your delight in Him through His Word and trust that as you do, He will grow it.
