Delight-My 2018 Word for the Year

Have you ever chosen a word for the year? 2018 marks the 3^rd year that I have chosen a word for the year. Previously, I remember reading about choosing a word for the year and thinking it wasn’t really worth my time. However, something changed in 2016 and I decided to pick a word for 2016. I don’t really remember the process in 2016, but in 2017, I literally remember going for a walk on Christmas Day and hearing God say, “Your word is Hope.”

This Year

Halfway through December, I was in my Quiet Time with the Lord and heard him say, “Your Word is Delight.” I knew the scripture that backs it from memory and I wasn’t all that excited about it, to be honest.

Psalm 37:4-6 (ESV) Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act.  He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

My first (literal) thought was, “I am a very selfish person, I cannot imagine why God would want to give me the desires of my heart.”

But He reminded me

God wants to give me good things.

He loves me like a Father because he is my Heavenly Father.

Matthew 7:11 (NIV) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

I love to give good gifts to my children and I am made in the image of my Father, so why wouldn’t he want to give me good gifts?

But I was missing the point

This word delight isn’t about getting the stuff I want. Instead, it’s about giving myself fully to Father God. It’s about committing myself to him and trusting him. When I delight myself fully in Father God, I don’t have to worry about all “the stuff” because he takes care of it. When I fully delight myself in him, I commit my heart to him and his Word.

Delight means (according to Dictionary.com)

a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture:

something that gives great pleasure:

What does this mean to me?

It means that I find great pleasure and enjoyment in being in the presence of my Father God. That it brings me joy just to spend time with him.

Is it easy?

Absolutely, not!

Friends,  there are many times I spend way too much time on Facebook, just to pass time.

There are many times that I spend far too much time watching T.V. when I could be spending time with him.

There are more than enough times that I value an hour extra sleep over my time with Father God.

But you know what?

• The more I push past my desires and spend time with God, the more I want to. My desire just grows.
• The more that I say “no” to the extra hour of sleep and yes to Father God, the better I hear his voice.
• The more that I spend time in his presence, the easier it is to trust him.

In Conclusion

I’m looking forward to what the rest of 2018 will bring.

I know that I will be challenged in this new word, but I also know that I won’t come out of this year the same.

How about you? Did you pick a word or scripture for the year?If so,  I’d love if you’d take a minute to share it in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this content, I’d love if you’d take a moment to share it with a friend or via social media.

*All Photos are my own*