What Does It Mean to Abide in God’s Love? A Journey into Delight
A few weeks ago, during a Spiritual Direction session, a single word surfaced quietly but insistently:
Delight.
There was no striving attached to it. No instruction.
Instead, there was simply a deep sense that God was delighting in us as we met.
It felt less like something to understand
and more like something to receive.
—
Later that same morning, I walked into a team gathering with the 24-7 Prayer South Africa community. As we prayed and dreamed together, that same word returned:
Delight.
Then, almost as if to root that word in something deeper, a team member shared a Scripture:
“The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the LORD holds them by the hand.”
(Psalm 37:23–24)
It landed gently—but carried weight.
In that moment, the sense wasn’t just that God delights in us in some distant or abstract way.
Rather, He delights in every detail:
- the small movements
- the unseen moments
- the ordinary, fragile steps of our lives
Even the stumbling ones.
And more than that—
we are not left to hold ourselves together.
We are held.
—
So I wrote the word down on a watercolour page, almost absent-mindedly at first. As the conversation continued, I began to doodle.
Slowly, an image emerged.
A small figure sitting on a hill.
Warm light radiating outward—golden, gentle, steady.
At first, it felt like sunlight.
But soon, it felt like something more.
It felt like being warmed from the inside out.
Then something deeper became clear.
This wasn’t just a peaceful scene.
Instead, this was someone who had come through a long night—
through cold, loneliness, and invisibility—
and was now simply sitting…
receiving warmth again.
Not striving for it.
Not earning it.
Just being there.
Just being there.
And the phrase that stayed with me was this:
Abiding as Delighting — Abiding in God’s Love
As I have sat with this word, these scriptures, and this image, something has slowly begun to take shape:
1. Abiding in God’s Love Begins with Being Delighted In
Abiding begins not with effort, but with being delighted in.
Often, abiding is misunderstood as something we must do well:
stay connected, stay faithful, stay obedient.
However, Scripture consistently begins elsewhere—with the initiative of God.
“The Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:11)
Before we delight in God,
God delights in us.
Because of that, abiding is not about clinging to God in fear of falling away.
Instead, it is about resting in the gaze of a God who already rejoices over us.
Zephaniah says it even more vividly:
“He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
So, to abide is to remain
where God’s joy over us is already happening.
2. Being Delighted in Creates Inner Space and Peace
As we begin to receive that we are delighted in, something shifts—not only spiritually, but physically.
Gradually:
- our bodies soften
- our breath deepens
- our nervous systems begin to slow
As a result, a kind of inner spaciousness opens up.
In that space, delight becomes more than a concept—it becomes an environment.
It creates:
- joy without frenzy
- peace without withdrawal
- rest without disengagement
This is why Jesus’ words in John 15 feel so grounded and real:
“Remain in my love… so that my joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9–11)
Importantly, joy is not the reward of abiding.
Joy is the atmosphere of abiding.
3. Delighting in God Is a Response, Not a Performance
At times, delight in God gets confused with constant enthusiasm or spiritual intensity.
Yet true delight is much quieter than that.
Rather than performance, it looks like:
- turning our attention toward Him
- allowing ourselves to enjoy His nearness
- choosing trust over control
Because of this, “Delight yourself in the Lord” (Psalm 37:4) does not mean we must manufacture delight.
Instead, it means we place ourselves where delight can grow.
Like the figure on the hill:
- still
- present
- open
- receiving warmth rather than generating it
Ultimately, delight is not something we produce.
It is something we become receptive to.
4. A Life of Delight Becomes a Light to the World
Jesus never says:
Try to be a light.
Instead, He says:
“You are the light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”
A city on a hill shines not because it tries harder,
but because it is where it is meant to be.
The light flows from its position, not its performance.
In the same way, abiding as delighting becomes quietly prophetic.
When we live from this place:
- we stop burning ourselves out to prove hope
- we stop reacting to the fire around us
- we begin to carry a different temperature into the world
And in a world that often feels like it is burning:
- peace becomes visible
- joy becomes attractive
- rest becomes quietly disruptive
People are not drawn to our arguments.
Instead, they are drawn to:
- our steadiness
- our gentleness
- our unhurried presence
This is witness without anxiety.
Light without striving.
Receive Delight
Perhaps abiding in God’s love is simpler—and deeper—than we have made it.
Perhaps it begins here:
Not with effort.
Not with discipline.
But with receiving delight.
Even now, you might pause and ask:
“God, where are You already delighting in me?”
And instead of reaching for an answer,
just stay.
Stay like someone sitting in sunlight
after a long, cold night.