“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” –Psalm 111:2
Every work of God is a great work worthy of study. From distant planets to standing still at the extraordinary beauty of a mountain landscape, even the gradual sanctification of a sinner’s heart, are all great works of God. The one who loves God studies His works with their minds and delights with pleasure in their hearts.
Psalm37 welcomes us to delight ourselves in God and in turn He will give you what delights our hearts. We are to love God and find delight in getting to know Him. Repentance is often simply referred to as a turning, but the turn is in delights. Delight not in the evils of the world, but turn and delight yourself in the Lord. Who God is and the great works He performs is the delight of our souls and the drive of the study of our mind.
Think of I Peter 2, where Peter contends that Christ who was rejected by this world is the stone rejected by the builders and has become the Cornerstone, is whom we Christians proclaim the excellencies of (I Peter 2:9). Study with delight in the Lord of what these “excellencies” of Christ are! The deep needs and longings of the human heart are not only satisfied in Christ, but our cups run over! Christ is the treasure of abundance of delight!
I stood on a mountaintop in Ilam, Nepal, and suddenly the vast, beautiful landscape made me feel so small. To paraphrase Psalm 8, “When I study the heavens, the great work of God’s fingers, the moon and the stars, who am I that God is mindful of me?” There is indeed delight in my soul when I study the great works of God.
God is great and His works are great. We are invited to think deeply, to study His Word, with hearts filled with abundant delight. For the great pleasure of beholding His great works is awarded another pleasure: God answers our requests to grant us the desires of our heart. The request to have a heart committed to the Lord with delight is granted.
This means we are to delight in what God delights in. God delights in showing mercy to pardon sin and forgive transgression (Micah 7:18). We are to delight in showing mercy. The Christian’s goal in life is to give pleasure to God (IICorinthians 5:9). We sing to God with joy because God takes pleasure in His people (Psalms 149:4-5). We take pleasure singing to God and singing with the church gathered whom God delights in.
As Augustine stated, “Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure. Where your treasure is, there is your heart. Where your heart is, there is your happiness.” We are invited to be happy in Jesus, to study happily the great works of Jesus.
Psalm16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Eternal pleasures are with God, and the path to eternal pleasures is guided by our Good Shepherd who leads us into fellowship with God through His shed blood. Oh, to take pleasure in God! To proclaim such excellencies! To glorify and enjoy God forever! What delightful duty we enjoy to study His great works and proclaim Christ’s excellencies our minds are delightfully held captive to!
Heavenly Father, grant us the joy and knowing and studying Your great works. May the great work of grace in Christ Jesus be the joyful subject we study deeply and proclaim the excellencies of to a dark, perishing world. Fill our hearts with delight in You and Your Word. We ask Your mercies and the reward of delight in You all in Jesus’ name. Amen.
