Some of you may remember singing this song in Sunday School:
As a child, I knew God loved me. He proved it by sending his Son to take the punishment for my sins, provide the way for me to live in heaven one day, and know him in the present.
But I also knew my little eyes, hands, and mouth were not as careful they should have been. Surely God was disappointed in me much of the time.
The truth that I could enjoy God never entered my mind. My false impression of his disapproval stood in the way for many years.
Somehow I’d missed the message of such scriptures as:
- The joy you have in the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10 GWT).
- Take delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4a NIV).
- I will go to the altar of God, . . . my joy and my delight (Psalm 43:4 NIV).
I read such passages as directives for prayer and worship rather than invitations to take pleasure in relationship with God.
Psalm 100 provides Exhibit A for enjoying him by praising him. “Shout for joy,” the psalmist begins. “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (vs. 1-2, emphasis added).
Then he gives one example why: God has made us his own—in spite of our frailty—and cares for us like a compassionate, attentive shepherd (v. 3).
Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3-7)
That’s certainly cause for thanksgiving and praise (v. 4), which in turn fosters our delight in God. Then the psalmist concludes with three more reasons to enjoy him: he is good, loving, and faithful (v. 5).
This psalm hints at another important truth. Dare I use a sport analogy?
My first attempts at playing tennis sent balls whizzing every which way. However, various drills and hitting the ball thousands of times against a wall built up my skills until I could actually play the game.
That’s when I began to enjoy the sport. The better I knew how to play tennis, the more pleasure I took in the game.
‘See the parallel in the spiritual realm? The more we know God, the more we’ll enjoy him.
But that’s not all.
The more we delight in God, the easier it becomes to obey him and live by his ways.
And as we see those ways contributing satisfaction, contentment, and purpose to our lives, we enjoy him all the more.
So how do we foster our pleasure in God? Here are three ways to get us started:
LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT GOD—his character and his ways.
In January we explored the exercise of slowly reading through the psalms and writing down every mention of God’s character and deeds. As the list grows so does our delight in his multi-faceted splendor [1].
LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT JESUS—his life, sacrificial death, provision of eternal life for us and all its implications.
For example, while reading the gospels, note his responses to people, his choices, and his behavior. What character traits can you identify?
While reading the letters written by the Apostles Paul, Peter, and others, consider all that Christ’s sacrifice has purchased for us.
The more we learn about Jesus, the more our love for him grows. The more our love grows, the more we find our hearts filled with joy in him.
REVEL IN GOD’S BEAUTY—his magnificence, the glory of his creation, and the beautiful blessings he bestows.
“His love notes are stashed everywhere,” says Sara Hagerty [2].
And as we discover them, we’ll find ourselves smiling and even laughing in pleasure with God, in the awesome works he performs [3].
Oh—and one more thing to celebrate. There will always be more to enjoy, and we can always acquire more ability to enjoy our God because . . .
quote from Morning by Morning, 268.
How do you enjoy God? Please share in the comment section below!
[1] https://nancyaruegg.com/2025/01/16/celebrating-god-through-the-psalms/
[2] Unseen, 206.
[3] https://nancyaruegg.com/2019/06/06/love-notes/
Image credits: http://www.youtube.com; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.freebibleimages.org; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.canva.com; http://www.pixahive.com (Vijay Richhiya).
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Nancy, this is such a beautiful and well-written article (like always!). I enjoyed listening to the song again. The analogy of tennis and the “learning” that comes from knowing God more is a grand slam! My communion in Christ has grown. I enjoy spending my mornings in scripture study, mediation, and prayer. I’m participating in a whole Bible study again this year that I’m enjoying! I keep learning! I’ve treasured my time reading timeless books about Christ as well as preparing a new women’s fireside chat time with a dear friend. In nature, I feel so close to Christ, too. I love knowing more about the Jesus I met a a little girl. Now, he walks and talks with me–just like the song. Finding God’s character in scripture has kept me focused even when life is inconsistent, HIS WORD and truths are not! God bless you, Nancy! May his wisdom, light, and joy keep shining through you! 💛💛💛
Thank you, Karla, for sharing how you enjoy God through Bible study, meditation, the reading of Christian books, prayer, and time in nature. I agree: those are meaningful ways to bask in God’s presence! Also appreciate your sweet blessing at the end; I pray the same for you as you minister to those around you and to those far off through your blog.
💗 it’s my blessing, Nancy. I pray the same for you. You’re such a blessing!
Thank you, Karla, for your sweet encouragement!
It’s my blessing, Nancy!
Your post here today, Nancy, made my heart sing! It took me way too long to realize that all I need in this life is to put my relationship with God first, and know His loving friendship and faithfulness are eternal. He is the all powerful one, yet makes Himself available to all who come to Him. Every day, I try to know God, Jesus, and the grandeur of His creation better. Posts like you only convict me that I’m on the right track.
Grace and blessings!
Praising God with you, Martha, for his loving friendship and faithfulness to ALL who come to Him–AMEN! How wonderful that as sisters in Christ we can support one another on this track toward heaven!
I had not thought of that song in so long. I don’t see it as a display of God’s disapproval, but as a guide to do the things that are pleasing to God. It reminds me of the song “Trust and Obey” which guides us to be “happy in Jesus”. I like your three practical points that show us how to do just that.
Good for you, Linda, to have seen the rightful intent of that Sunday School song! I’m glad you found value in the three actions we can take to enjoy God more. They’ve certainly benefited me.
This reminds me of the old parenting advice to keep relationship more important than rules. The same is true with my walk with Jesus. And my relationship with Him grows in the ways you have talked about so well here, Nancy. One way I enjoy God is to capture pictures of our beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and to remember that each of them was uniquely given to us by God to enjoy.
Thank you, Patty. I’m so thankful you share those beautiful sunrises and sunsets with us on your blog! Isn’t it amazing he never paints the same design twice–even after thousands (maybe millions) of years?!
God’s creation, in this case His skies, continually amaze me.
Nancy, the parallel you drew between knowing a sport more and enjoying with knowing God more and taking delight in Him and His ways is so very true. That is the transformation that we see from within where our desires get more aligned to His.
Great post Nancy.
Thank you Manu, and praise God for his inspiration. You are so right: as our desires become more aligned to his, our enjoyment in him grows!
You’re so right-the more I read God’s Word, the closer I feel to Him. Posts of Christian bloggers, who share their devotion and their understanding of God’s Word, do a wonderful job of sharing His joy. Thank you, Nancy! 🙂
Couldn’t agree more, Nancy, with your first statement. Time in the Word offers a prime place to enjoy God and converse with him, as he speaks to us on the page and we respond. And thank you for mentioning Christian bloggers who lead us toward delight in our Father. Praise God for their insights and encouragement!
Growing in knowing God and enjoying God is a wonderful adventure. God wants us to enjoy Him as his children but unfortunately messages we hear can cause uf to think of God as a stern person waiting to zap us if we mess up.
I like that word adventure for describing the Christian life, and our quest to know and enjoy God! It’s wonderful indeed to grow nearer to him as we learn to experience him more intimately. / I agree Matt–it’s sad that some see God as a stern taskmaster. He is our God of JOY and peace (Romans 15:13)!
Nancy, these days I’m enjoying God in the blue skies, the brisk winds, His Word sitting right on my counter where I can read on and off during the day. I’m enjoying Him in the old hymns and the new songs, the surprise answers to prayer, and the ease of laughter.
Oh, thank you for that wonderful list, Linda, highlighting the wide variety of ways we can enjoy God. Each day provides fresh pleasures in him!
Why is enjoying Jesus such a hard reality to picture and practice? I grew up in church, a place that dealt more with social gospel than Jesus, but my second-grade Sunday school teacher was one who delighted in Jesus. She made Bible stories come alive for us and spoke of Him as her best Friend. Her life impacted me more than any church service, and I find today there are hymns I sing and stories I read in Scripture that fill me with such conviction of His presence with me–all because of a lady who loved Jesus. Thanks for this beautiful reminder that He really does enjoy us, and His heart is for us to enjoy Him.
Praise God for that Sunday School teacher, Dayle. May her tribe increase! Her influence has extended down through the decades in your life; I wonder how many other children-now-grown also carry her influence in their hearts?!
Hi Nancy,
Spending time with the Lord and let Him do what He does best. Never close off to Him. In Christ, Gary
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Agreed, Gary. One-on-one time with God provides a lovely haven of rest in our days!
One way I enjoy God is His patience with me. Seeing the picture you posted of the shepherd with the sheep reminded me of a message I heard on the radio yesterday. The minister commented on how wayward and independent sheep can be. It is no small task keeping a herd together, let alone one sheep like me! ‘All we like sheep have gone astray.” Yet His love for me to keep me close to Him is indescribable.
Yes indeed! Praise God for his love, patience, understanding, and more!
And so we devote the rest of our days to the joyous work of knowing Him better!
TT
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YES–JOYOUS work indeed!
Wonderful, joyful post of thanksgiving to God! I often think of the passage from scripture from Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” It reminds me that at all times, God is in our midst…every hour of every day, and so we do rejoice!
Amen, Linda! That’s a great verse to start every day–a reminder to rejoice and be glad in God’s blessings as they unfold, even amidst challenges.
I loved singing that song. What memories that brought back. You made me smile, humming that tune once again. And what a good question to ponder how do we enjoy God? In his nature. In silence. In worship. In rest. Studying his word. In the smile of others. In so many ways. Your question offered me a moment of moment of pause and rest to really consider this wonderful question.
I know YOU enjoy God, Jean, in all the ways you listed. Your blog posts are full of illustrations of the pleasure you take in him. One profound example that comes to mind was when you were in Europe, visited an art museum (I think) and reveled in a master-painting that touched your spirit. God was with you in those moments! And you were with him.