“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” — Isaiah 61:10.
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“Do not think first of the desires of your heart, but think first of delighting yourself in your God! If you have accepted Him as your Lord, He is yours, so delight in Him & then He will give you the desires of your heart” – Charles Spurgeon.
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing,” – Zephaniah 3:17 
My God takes delight in me. Webster Dictionary defines delight as “a high degree of gratification, joy, extreme satisfaction, something that gives great pleasure.” To think that the great God of the universe delights in me—it’s a difficult concept to comprehend.
In order to delight and rejoice over me, God knows me and my strengths and weaknesses. And yet, he still loves me. He knows my reservations and my fears such as beginning a brand-new job. “Don’t be afraid…don’t despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you,” (the Message). As I venture out in new territory with a new job description, he’ll be by my side. God is my advocate in helping me remember people’s names and navigate the new terrain. He’s even willing to fight for me if necessary.
Then what do I have to fear knowing God is on my side? Nothing. Since I know he delights in me with his songs and calms me with his love, I need have no fear of failure. I can learn what I need to learn on the new job. He has my back side!
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“He brought me into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Psalm 18:19
God delights in me? No way—me, a mere flawed human being? The fact that the great, awesome and powerful God would stoop so low as to free me, rescue me and then delight in me is almost incomprehensible! When I begin to count the number of times I’ve messed up and disappointed God…well, the number is too great to tally. And, I continue to mess up.
The definition of “delight” is a high degree of pleasure; joy, to have or take great pleasure. Synonyms of the word “delight” are to please, gratify, rejoice, gladden, tickle, satisfy, content, charm, allure, and attract. The God of the universe takes pleasure in me? Even when I don’t act kind or loving to a family member—He still loves me. When I jump to conclusions about my neighbor’s actions and do not know his motive or his heart—God still loves me!
I am learning that this big God is also a personal God and longs for intimacy with me. He cares enough about me (and you) to reach down from on high and take hold of me; “he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me…but the Lord was my support.” (Psalm 18:16—18)
Have you been through deep waters? I have. I can’t depend on my physical body to perform properly at all times. I grow weary and weak, and need to depend on others to get me through the day, and that’s okay. My Mother died unexpectantly at an early age. As I think of my dear confidant, my eyes tear. I can no longer talk face to face with her and share my daily joys and sorrows.
We all walk through dark valleys. Sometimes God takes us out of the valley; other times He walks through the valley with us. Either way, He doesn’t leave us stranded. Apart from this great God, I can do nothing. But if I humble myself and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14)—God comes through and does not disappoint. With God, all things are possible. Even sweet communion with a God who delights in me!
Prayer: Thank you, God, for rescuing me many times throughout the years. I don’t deserve rescue, but because of Your great love and mercy, You choose to free me in spite of me. Keep my ways pure, oh Lord, as I learn truth from Your scripture. My heart’s desire is to run to You sooner next time. When the deep waters threaten to swallow me up, I long for You to be my strong support so You may delight in me all the days of my life. Amen.
Teresa Kay Lasher ©2010; 11/4/2010 2:26:45 PM
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