Learning to Delight
“I delight in Your assurances that I am precious in Your sight. I’m so thankful I don’t have to prove my worth by trying to be good enough. You lived a perfect life on my behalf because You knew I could not do so. Now I want to live in this glorious free dom of being Your fully forgiven follower— remembering that there is no condemnation for those who belong to You!”
– Jesus Listens, June 18th
Many of us make New Years’ resolutions to read our Bibles or pray more. I get emails weekly from readers around the world who share their genuine desire to be more disciplined but lack consistency. Many Christians want to “do quiet time” because it’s the “right thing to do.” But what if this is the wrong focus? A checklist mentality has us read a certain number of Bible chapters on a strict schedule; we do it, believing that more information will lead to heart transformation, but this kind of quiet time can leave us bored, overwhelmed, or guilty when we fall behind on these “disciplines.” No wonder there’s no joy.
God wired our brains to seek out pleasurable activities. It’s no hardship to eat dessert, watch a fun show, or sit by a crackling fire. Those activities are easy precisely because they’re enjoyable. We don’t need discipline to do what delights us.
So, when it comes to our spiritual formation, we don’t have a discipline problem; we have a delight problem. If we’re simply “doing quiet time” because it’s good for us, we’re missing the point.
The problem with joyless spiritual disciplines is that we’re missing Jesus in them. When we separate the practice from the Person, we miss the power of His presence. And all along, Jesus is patiently standing at the door, knocking, waiting.
What if we shifted our focus from “doing quiet time” to deepening our friendship with Jesus? Here’s what that could look like:
- Instead of reading a few chapters to “keep up” with our reading plan, we search the Scriptures to get to know the heart of Jesus (see John 5:39–47 NIV).
- Instead of mumbling religious jargon before meals, we have a conversational chat with Jesus before we eat, check back in after we eat, and keep the conversational flow going all day (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).
- Instead of venting our frustrations about today’s politics or gossiping about a high profile person’s latest post, we go for a walk around the neighborhood and talk to Jesus about it, listening to how He responds (see Isaiah 9:6 NIV, where Jesus is called “Wonderful Counselor”).
What if our spiritual disciplines were never meant to be isolated religious activities but rather rhythms of deepening friendship with Jesus?
There is no one-size-fits-all formula in the Bible for how to delight ourselves in the Lord because He created us one of a kind. And what works in one season of our lives will need to be tweaked in the next. That’s why I’ve chosen to use the terms Rhythms of Delight, to remind us that just like waves ebb and flow in a rhythmic pattern, these practices shift and change as we grow and our life circumstances evolve. What doesn’t change is that Jesus remains at the center of our lives as we practice these rhythms, and His delight in us calls forth our delight in Him. As “deep calls to deep” (see Psalm 42:7 NIV), so the Spirit of God reaches out toward us and calls us deeper into His presence.
All the Rhythms of Delight begin and end with love. They’re an invitation to relationship, to joy, to completeness, to rest, and to abide in Jesus’ love. The following five rhythms are central in my own journey of joy with Jesus:
- Worship: delighting in the heart of God through all we say and do
- Word: delighting in the revelation of God through Scripture
- Whisper: delighting in communion with God through prayer
- Wonder: delighting in the gifts of God by recognizing His hand at work
- Walk: delighting in obedience to God as we collaborate with His Spirit
These five rhythms have profoundly shaped the way I move in the world and the way I experience God’s presence with me.
When we truly understand God’s invitation to mutual delight through friendship in Jesus, every aspect of life becomes an opportunity to experience Him. It’s not just the exercise of spiritual disciplines that offers a vehicle into God’s happiness, but the entirety of our earthly experience. With God, there is no secular-sacred divide, for all of earth is filled with His glory, and every good gift can become a channel of adoration.
When I see a beautiful sunset, I can both enjoy its beauty and, in my enjoyment, adore the One who by His creativity painted the horizon with such beauty. “How good of God to give me this.”
When I linger over a good meal with good friends, I can both enjoy their companionship and, in my enjoyment, delight in the One whose love offers us friendship as an echo of His own.
This “earthy” spirituality brings the whole range of human experience into an awareness of God’s presence with us, His delight in us, and His invitation to delight in Him. All of life—not just our morning devotions—is an opportunity to enjoy God.
Adapted from Delighting in Jesus: Rhythms to Restore Joy When You Feel Burdened, Broken, or Burned-Out by Asheritah Ciuciu (©2024). Published by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Asheritah Ciuciu is a bestselling author, national speaker, and host of the Prayers of Rest podcast. Asheritah is the author of many books, including Full, Prayers of Rest, and Unwrapping the Names of Jesus. A Romanian missionary kid, she’s passionate about helping people around the world enjoy Jesus through creative spiritual habits. Asheritah is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they raise their three spunky kiddos in NE Ohio. Discover your creative devotional type at www.OneThingAlone.com.
