Delighting in the Lord

By Erica Hunt

I have my quiet time first thing in the morning. Over the winter months, this means getting up before the sun. When the sun makes its journey farther from the earth and man manipulates the clock to “save light,” I am met with cold and darkness in the morning. The early morning silence is a perfect quiet time before I dash off to be at work by 8 AM. But those early dark morning are hard! There have been days I want to sleep in, and I have. Some days my sleepy brain and eyes do not understand the passages I’m reading. Some days I find myself down a rabbit trail of social media before I snap out of it and pick up my Bible. As hard as it is to get up early, I have noticed that I’ve begun to look forward to this early-morning time with Jesus.

When I first began to have my own quiet time, I viewed it as an obligation to God. Since I was encouraged to have a quiet time growing up, it ended up feeling like a chore. It was hard to keep focused when I had other things I wanted to do. My devotions were done out of a sense of duty and obedience. It’s what the good Christian does.

Creating the habit of a quiet time was not enjoyable. It did not come naturally, and making time was difficult. Meeting with God and reading His Word was not my priority and so it was pushed to the back burner when life got busy.

A couple of years ago, I decided that having a quiet time was actually important and I began setting aside time to spend in the Word. After years of effort, it’s just been over the last few weeks that I’ve begun to look forward to my time with the Lord. In these months of dark, cold mornings, I have been surprised by a desire, almost a craving, for these precious, morning moments. The consistency of dedicating a small part of my day to God has been met with blessing. Quiet time is no longer an obligation but a joy.

I did not even know that I could enjoy having a devotional time! I knew that it was right. I knew that God called me to know Him and His Word more deeply and intimately. I knew that I would need to sacrifice sleep and time in order to pray every day. But I did not know that it would become easier. I didn’t know that adding things that I love (like coffee and a cozy blanket) could be things that help me worship. I didn’t know that, as I learned more about God and His love for me, I would begin to know and love Him in return. This delight has led to a desire that I didn’t even know I wanted. I now want more of Him.

Watching the darkness outside my window give way to the light of day reminds me of the mercies I receive every morning. It’s a delight to meet with God in the quiet stillness before the chaos and busyness of the day. As I continue to meet with Him, He is always there for me. The more I choose to deny myself, put down the phone, or get up earlier the more I find a delight and a longing to be with God. My delight in what He is doing in my life grows along with the desire to know Him more.

• If delighting in the Lord is difficult in this season, ask Him to give you a delight for Him.
• Keep making yourself have a quiet time, even if it feels difficult and wasteful. If you persevere, it won’t always feel like that.
• Figure out practical ways to make your time with Jesus more enjoyable! Light a candle, grab a cozy blanket, put fresh flowers on the table, make delicious coffee or tea, or buy an excessive numbers of gel pens.

About Erica: Lives with her husband, Justin, in South Dakota. She teaches middle school and loves traveling, collecting quotes, learning fun facts and historical information, drinking coffee, eating ice cream and enjoying good conversation with friends.