It's Delightful

"...and if you honor..." Isaiah 58:13

Enjoy reading Isaiah 58

Think for a moment, if you will, about what brings you delight. The dictionary defines delight as "a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment". An online dictionary adds that "delight usually brings an active expression". In other words, when you sense a high degree of enjoyment- you let people know it, or it shows on your face. What things bring you a "high degree of enjoyment"?

How does your walk with God rate on the delight scale? Do you delight in Him? Can you express how much joy God brings you? Is it showing on your face or is your daily life with God hum-drum at best? Do you wonder if He hears your prayers? Do you look forward to- or delight in God's day?

This verse in Isaiah deals with how we should view God's day. It is also a closing statement to a chapter in which God is teaching His people why they were having so many problems. His people were not delighting in Him. They had chosen to turn from His ways, and ended up finding selfishness, strife, wickedness and unanswered prayers. They were desperately crying out to God but they found no enjoyment in their walk with Him. God could not hear their prayers because of their choices, and they could not find delight in God because they sought their own pleasure, did their own thing and spoke their own words on His day. (Getting into this pattern was hazardous to Judah's well being. It was this pattern of neglect and dishonor that led to their captivity).

Why is God's day so significant? Will going to church (faithfully) solve all your problems? The answer is in verse 13...it all comes down to honor. To honor someone means to hold them in high respect. (Hundreds of years before Isaiah's time, God told His people "those who honor Me, I will honor" 1 Samuel 2:30). Treating God's day as a religious obligation or as a hopeful ticket out of trouble is not what moves the heart of God. It's all about honoring Him. He was speaking to all of His people, not just a few. He calls us to come together on His day and declare that His day is honorable and a delight. Shouldn't we honor God everyday? Of course! It is this one day; however, that God expects to have set aside-or rather-set apart by His people for Him. It is His day that He looks for His children to gather together to praise Him, delight in Him, and honor Him in unity. We must declare His day for this purpose. He says when we have this attitude, we will find delight in Him. He doesn't stop there - He goes on to say in verse 14 that He will lift us up! "Then you will find your delight in Me and I will cause you to ride above the heights of the earth". (I love how one translation phrases it - "I will cause you to soar above it all"). Do you have something you need to rise above?

Rock concerts are sold out. Sporting events fill huge stadiums. Political rallies crowd the streets. Movies are drawing in millions upon millions of dollars. All in honor of talented people God created. There should never be an empty seat in God's house on His day. He is looking for those whose hearts are determined to declare His day to be an honor and delight. ["For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" 2 Chronicles 16:9]

If your faith is hum drum- if your feet are dragging in your walk with God-don't check your pulse-check your calender. If there's a pattern of scratching off God's day (remember He has 52 of them each year) to do other things, it will become hazadarous to your well being. I've seen it happen time and time again, (from people with different levels of faith) head-first falls into personal captivities. We must make every effort to mark and set aside God's day as a delight and honor to God. He is so worthy of honor. And He so wants to honor you!

Let us highly respect and esteem our God... from the rising of the sun, to a first song of praise, through an offering, through His written word, to an altar prayer, in our personal devotion to Him, until the setting of the sun. "Let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:3). Let us say of His day "it's delightful!"