Trusting & Delighting in God
Happy New Year friends!
As a recovering kid-who-wanted-to-achieve-everything, I have a soft spot in my heart for all things resolutions, goals, and intentions for each year. Maybe you’re the opposite. You might be like my husband and the word resolution makes you want to run for the hills, and that’s okay too! God makes us all different ways. But as we step into a new year, I believe these words might be for you. Whether you’re shoulders-deep in your faith or unsure what you believe, I want to share a little bit of my heart for 2026—specifically two words that God’s pressed into my life. Before we get there though, let’s start with Psalm 37, an ancient poem written by David, who starts this psalm off frustrated with evil:
“Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants.” (Psalm 37:1-2)
Sorry to all the plant lovers out there, but these words are meaningful context before we get into the good stuff. Surely you can think of a time that you so desperately wanted to do the wrong thing? I hope it’s not just me. Maybe you were in high school just trying to fit in, or maybe it was last week, when you were tempted to cut corners, numb out problems by bingeing the last season of Stranger Things, or saw your one hundredth perfectly curated house on Instagram that day and thought I know not to covet (Exodus 20:17), but what I wouldn’t give to live in that house! Even as I see people do things that would leave me feeling convicted, part of me can’t help but think honestly, that looks a lot easier. That feels like I would be a lot less misunderstood.
It’s perfectly human to feel this way, and God loves us through all our doubts and questions. As much as we try to reconcile our envy with our faith though, we can’t wholeheartedly pursue the Lord if our heart is divided between loving him and envying the evil all around us. The two words I plan to embrace for 2026 can’t be authentically accomplished unless my heart is unified under one master: the Lord. So what are these words?!
Psalm 37 goes on to say, “Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.” (Psalm 37:3-6)
Trust. If I’m honest, this word caught me by surprise. I still face anxiety today, but I was even more anxious as a teenager, so ‘God, help me trust you more’ was a daily prayer of mine for years. Out of God’s mercy, he’s been faithful to answer that prayer and grow my trust in him over time. Now, instead of having a five-year plan in place, I don’t pretend to have it all figured out. I’ve learned to pause, listen for God’s direction, and act when I know that he’s prompting me to. So truthfully, I thought I was doing okay at this whole ‘trust God’ thing, and I didn’t expect this word to make a reappearance so soon.
Yet God is showing me (and us!) that trust comes before delight. Just like verses one and two taught us, we’re invited to place our complete love and trust in him—nothing else. From complete trust in God, we can experience complete delight. At the same time, I’m living proof that trusting God is something we’ll never fully master until we are with him in Heaven. There is always more ground that we can give him when it comes to our hearts, minds, and souls. Our whole lives are journeys toward this trust.
While it can feel frustrating to never quite arrive, there’s beauty in that too. Trust invites us to keep giving ground–to wade deeper and deeper into transformation and healing so that we can know him more. As David tells us, “trust in him, and he will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn.” He is never done with your healing. He always wants to see you become more redeemed, more righteous, and more whole. Trust is his chosen vehicle for transformation–it’s how he continues to bring us fresh offerings of love and peace. Trust precedes true delight.
Delight. As I deepen my trust in God, I am more able to delight in his goodness. Delight means instead of forcing myself to romanticize my life because everyone’s doing it, I get to notice what God is already doing–quietly, faithfully, and right in front of me. I get to respond with gratitude and praise, cultivating joy for the real things God is already doing in my life: the sunny days in winter, the friends that lift me up, and the words I get to write. We can delight just because he is here with us, with you as you read these words right now.
And as we delight in the Lord, Psalm 37:4 promises he will give us our heart’s desires. This promise may feel confusing or empty since God doesn’t always grant us what we ask for. But if there’s one thing I know about God, it’s that he doesn’t break his promises because he never changes (Hebrews 13:8). The beauty in his words to us is that our heart’s deepest desire isn’t our dream job, a marriage, or even becoming a parent (though these are great desires!)
Our deepest desire is someone, and someone we already have access to: God himself. As we delight in him, he continues to reveal to us all the ways that he sees us, loves us, and meets our every need. In delighting, we learn it’s one thing to know that God exists, and it’s wholly another to have a lifegiving, intimate relationship with him that makes us so grateful to be alive on a Monday, of all days! As I’ve practiced delighting this year through delicious food with friends and solo walks down my street, what could’ve been a fun meal or a little break feels intentionally sacred. This is true for all of us: as we’re gratefully aware of God’s presence in our lives, we’re not only delighting in his goodness, but creating sacred moments to worship our Creator. Delight is a fun reminder that every good thing comes from Him, and we should praise him for that. As our Father, he loves to see us delighted!
Trust and delight. These words just might be the keys to the best way we can possibly live our lives–take it from God! I hope that this passage and these words, even if they may not be your focus this year, make you curious about what God’s up to in your life. We are called to behold what God is doing next (Isaiah 43:19). Be encouraged–he has plans and purpose for you! And know that however you’re feeling today, God delights in you. Not only is he our heart’s desire, but our hearts are his greatest desire too.
I would love to hear–what are you focusing on this year? Whether it’s a word, resolution, or goal, you’re invited to share in the comments below!
