The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. Proverbs 15:8 NLT

To be transparent, delighting in the Lord at times seems difficult to me. The word delight means; please (someone) greatly or great pleasure. My struggle lies in the fact that I can be more concerned about what pleases me instead of what pleases the Lord. But, this piece is not about what delights me, it is all about what delights the Lord. 

In Proverbs 15:8 it is speaking about what pleases the Lord, what the Lord delights in. The Lord delights in our prayers. The NLT version says, ‘prayers of the upright’. Other translations say; honest, those who live right, people with integrity, righteous or decent. If this piece is about what delights the Lord then this gives us our answer. The Lord delights in the honest prayers of decent people who live with integrity.

I love this scripture because it highlights one of the reasons I started 320 Letters. God is not interested in perfection but rather an honest relationship. Think about your closest friend, how do you act around them? If it’s a good friend you should be able to be yourself, say what is on your mind without judgment. God wants that same type of relationship with you. He wants you to come to Him with honest prayers. 

Closest friends are also our source of advice and counsel. A good friend will tell you when you are wrong and help you when you need assistance. God wants that same type of relationship with you. He will correct you in love, only wanting the best for you. 

Open honest communication with the Lord is prayer. A lot of people think about praying only on your knees, or when you are sitting quietly in a room or church. No prayer is communication with God. You can pray all day long. Just in your mind communicating, checking in and sharing with the Lord your thoughts, wants, needs etc. Best part about the Lord is, He never leaves or forsakes you. He is always with you. You don’t need to pick up a phone to communicate with Him, He dwells in you. 

Now, you may be asking what does praying and communicating with the Lord have to do with the word delight? 

Let’s look at Proverbs 15:8 again:

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. 

What does this scripture say delights the Lord? The Lord delights in the prayers of the upright. The Lord delights in our honest prayers. He delights in communicating with you!

Take a moment right now and just acknowledge His presence. Say a simple prayer… And guess what you will be delighting the Lord. Don’t let the enemy lie to you about prayer being complicated. It is as simple as quiet words or thoughts throughout your day. Or full conversations as you drive home from work. The Lord delights in the simple act of having a relationship with you. 

Confessions:

My prayer life delights the Lord. 

The Lord delights in my honest prayers. 

The Lord takes great pleasure in having a relationship with me. 

It pleases the Lord greatly when I communicate and pray to Him.

Posted 6/1/2022