There’s something about the first sip of a perfectly crafted cappuccino. The beautiful foam combined with the craftsmanship of the beverage creates a dance of flavor and wonder, infusing your insides with an overwhelming warmth. As you indulge further, the sensation begins to slowly shift your mood, resulting in deep contentment and satisfaction. This sensation is delight, a dream-like state of exhilaration and awe. Is it inconceivable to imagine a relationship with God like that? Delightful and dare I say, fun and frothy? Perhaps that’s what it was designed to be in the first place, but in our rigidity of ritualism, we have forsaken the joy of simply being His.

“Drink deep of the pleasures of this God. Experience for yourself the joyous mercies He gives to all who turn to hide themselves in Him.” Psalm 34:8 TPT

When we delight in something, we take pleasure in it. Because we are God’s cherished daughters, we have the honor of finding pleasure in Him. We have the freedom to experience His glory and beauty in its fullness. But delight only occurs when we turn and hide ourselves in Him. A choice. In our lives we turn and hide ourselves in so many things our reputation, finances, false identity, inclinations of this world. But what if we hid ourselves in God. What if He was first on the throne of our heart. Unless we choose to take pleasure in Him first, we won’t experience authentic delight. Prayer? That’s on the back burner. Time in His Word? Let’s leave that to tomorrow. But choosing Him when I wake up, drinking deep of His Word and allowing it to change me? That’s a different heart posture, one of surrender.

But here is a harsh reality, sis, we don’t like the concept of surrender. Surrender requires sacrifice, and that’s uncomfortable and inconvenient. We would prefer to carry on with our daily routines without being disrupted, checking off one task after another. Forgoing the act of surrender makes it easier to view time with God as a chore rather than a relationship.  Checklists have made us daughters of obligation rather than devotion. Often, we engage in Christianese practices because we expect to receive something in return.

“Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life and He will provide for you what you desire the most.” Psalm 37:3 TPT

When read out of context, this passage makes it sound like a relationship with God is an if/then exchange. If I do all the obligatory Christian things, then God will give me all the desires of my heart. Let’s use scripture to disprove this hypothesis. Being a Christ-follower means crucifying the flesh, including our personal desires (Galatians 5:24).

Sis, abiding in Christ transforms our desires to align with the Lord’s heart. The truth is, when God becomes our greatest longing, then our desires shift to spiritual things. If we read Psalm 37:4 with an earthly lens, we miss God’s deepest yearning, our devotion. He isn’t after our obligation. He’s in pursuit of our heart.

Psalms 37:4-5 continues:  

“Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly, He will appear as your righteousness, as sure as the dawning of the noonday sun. Psalm 37:4-5 TPT

Aligning our hearts with God’s in surrender postures us to receive His best- embark on divine adventures; experience His kind of joy and pleasure.

So, let me ask you, sis, are you ready to become a daughter of delight?

Here is a glimpse of what being it might be like to be a daughter of delight:

“Life with God is wilder than the wildest roller coaster ride, and safer than your childhood bedroom. It’s more thrilling than the greatest adventure, and more delicious than an Italian cappuccino- if you can even believe it!” – Stephanie May Wilson, The Lipstick Gospel

When I think about a life with God, that’s what I desire most, the fun, the messy, the crazy, the adventure, the joy! I want our relationship to be as warm as wondrous and a cappuccino- pure and utterly delightful.

- Kierstin Almstrum, ARISE Director of Online Operations and Project Management