GOD’S DELIGHT

God not only loves his people but delights in each one of us. He takes great pleasure in us. He’s actually blessed in keeping and delivering us.

I see this kind of parental pleasure in my wife, Gwen, whenever one of our grandchildren calls. Gwen lights up like a Christmas tree when she has one of our dear little ones on the line. Nothing can get her off the phone. Even if I told her the President was at our door, she’d shoo me away and keep talking.

How could I ever accuse my heavenly Father of delighting in me less than I do in my own offspring? At times my children have failed me, doing things contrary to what I taught them. But never once have I stopped loving them or delighting in them. So, if I possess that kind of enduring love as an imperfect father, how much more does our heavenly Father care for us, his children?

Joshua and Caleb stood up in the midst of Israel and cried, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us” (Numbers 14:8). What a simple yet powerful declaration. They were saying, “Our Lord loves and delights in us. And he’s going to vanquish every giant, because he delights to do it for us. Therefore, we mustn’t look at our obstacles. We have to keep our eyes on our Lord’s great love for us.”

All through the Scriptures we read that God delights in us: “Such as are upright in their way are his delight” (Proverbs 11:20). “The prayer of the upright is his delight” (15:8). “My strong enemy [was]…too strong for me…but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:17-19).

It is absolutely imperative that we believe that God loves us and delights in us. Then we’ll be able to accept that every circumstance in our lives will eventually prove to be our Father’s loving will for us. We’ll emerge from our wilderness leaning on the loving arm of Jesus. And he’ll bring joy out of our mourning.