Delight Yourself in God: A 20-Day Devotional on Four Surprising Attributes of God

By D. Richard Ferguson

The "18-inch miss." It's when truths about God lodge in your mind but fail to stir your heart. The book of Psalms is loaded with insights on how to cure this malady.

What does it feel like to enjoy God's presence? The Bible uses emotional language like, "Delight yourself in the LORD." But what if you don't feel those emotions?

Delight Yourself in God will show you the path to renewed passion for God and stoke the fires of your delight in Christ.

This volume is a sample of the larger volume, Deeper Knowledge of God which is the result of a two-year deep dive into the Psalms to answer those questions that revolutionized the author's life. Delight Yourself in God contains the first 20 meditations from the larger volume. It focuses on four crucial attributes of God:

• God's Presence
• God as food and drink
• God as filler of all things
• God's superiority to earthly pleasures

Each day's reading focuses on how understanding and experiencing these attributes of God can awaken emotions such as delight, joy, hope, peace, and many others.

Get your copy today and take your delight in God deeper than ever before!

NOTE: If you downloaded this volume prior to 1/29/22, you must delete your outdated version before you can get the new version.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Food For Your Soul Ministries
• Release date: Apr 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201906122

D. Richard Ferguson

Dr. D. Richard Ferguson (B.A., M.S.L., D.R.S.) Dr. Ferguson's books are the fruit of 25 years of pastoral ministry and biblical counseling, formal seminary training, and a deep, lifelong passion for God's Word. Dr. Ferguson lives in Colorado where he he lives in constant wonder at how God reveals his glory in the creation. His many experiences shooting rapids, climbing mountains, biking, and 4-wheeling find their way into his stories.

Book preview

D. Richard Ferguson

This book is a sample of the larger volume, Deeper Knowledge of God:

Meditations on 76 Attributes

published by Food For Your Soul Ministries

© copyright 2021 by Food For Your Soul Ministries. All rights reserved.

––––––––

All Scripture quotations, except those otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. 

Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Used by Permission HCSB ©1999,2000,2002,2003,2009 Holman Bible Publishers. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Verses marked author’s translation are D. Richard Ferguson’s direct translations from the Hebrew.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.

––––––––

C:\Users\Darrell\Dropbox\1A Churchplant\Lit\FFYS logo and slogan.JPG

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

–Isaiah 55:2

Preface

What do you do when God seems distant, and your joy dries up? Even King David, the model for delighting in God, found himself in the desert—both literally and spiritually.

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my body longs for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

–Psalm 63:1, ESV

David understood that the solution to the desert is the presence of God. When his joy dried up, he didn’t cry out for better circumstances. He sought hard after God because God’s presence is the source of joy.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. –Psalm 89:15-16)

You experience God’s presence by experiencing his attributes when he turns his face favorably toward you. And it is through that enjoyment that you increase your love for God.

It is not enough to learn true things about God. It is not even enough to experience the benefits of his attributes. We must not be satisfied until our experiences of his attributes have been profound enough to move our soul into deeper love for him. We must keep learning and experiencing what is so wonderful about each attribute until our emotions respond.

Each of God’s attributes is a single ray in the spectrum of the brilliant radiance of his glory. They are waves in a massive ocean, and one drop of that ocean is enough to delight your soul and occupy your faculties of praise for all eternity.

You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. –Psalm 16:11

How do you find intimacy with God? Open the pages of Scripture, and instead of merely reading, make an all-out search for anything and everything you can learn about how to experience the excellencies and perfections of God.

Suppose you’re reading Romans 15 and come across verse 5.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity –Romans 15:5

This verse supplies three facts about God. He gives endurance, encouragement, and unity. But be careful. You can gather facts about God in ways that do not produce intimacy with him.

You might read that verse and think, I already knew God supplies encouragement. Nothing new there, and move on. If you do, you’ve missed an opportunity to experience God’s presence. The information may be old hat, but it’s always possible to experience every attribute of God more deeply than you ever have before.

Consider how you get to know people. Someone says, Have you ever noticed what an encourager Sarah is? Every time I’m around her I come away feeling like I can handle anything life throws at me. What effect would that comment have on you? You would not simply think, Sarah has the attribute of cultivating inner strength in people. I need to memorize that fact. No. You would think through what it means in practical, relational terms and you would notice it more in the future. You would recall your interactions with Sarah and put this information into that context. And you would be alert to her encouraging attributes the next time you saw her.

That is how we should respond whenever Scripture shows us an attribute of God. What does it mean that God gives endurance? How does he do it? Why does he do it? What does it feel like when it happens? How can I experience more of it?

Then, as often as possible, connect the dots between what you know to be true about God and what you experience in everyday life. Making those connections is the key to enjoying intimacy with him.

Love is not stirred by bare facts. It comes from interactions, exchanges, and experiences with the person you are learning to love.

How Do You Know When You’ve Been in God’s Presence?

After each day’s reading, meditate and pray until your eyes open to the goodness of that day’s attribute. And ask yourself, What kinds of effects would be present in my heart if I were to experience this attribute?

Some examples:

Gladness and joy

Greater love and desire for God (and all those he loves)

Safety and protection

Peace and calmness

A joyful, willing heart

Confidence

Courage

Fullness and satisfaction

Strength

Motivation

Zeal

A greater abiding presence of Christ in the heart

Experiential knowledge of the love that surpasses understanding

Fear of God

Awe and reverence

Desire to obey

In the middle of each day’s reading, I will remind you to consider how that day’s attribute would likely affect you if you were