PSALM 18:19 – He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
THEME OF THE DAY. HE REALLY DOES. Go no further into today’s nugget than the scripture associated with it. Stop, ponder, muse over, meditate upon, say it aloud (maybe even shout it), and be overwhelmed by its truth. Let this sink so deep inside our hearts and minds – He delights in me. No, not yet, don’t move on reading today’s nugget. Stay right where we are – anchored on those four words – He delights in me. Okay, let’s move on and we will do so with a couple of questions – “Do you believe it? Do you believe God really delights in you?” Well, He does – always, even in the following situations of life.
First, God delights in us from eternity past. Before we even took our first breath, He took delight in us as a people He chose to be in His forever family. Notice how the Apostle Paul states this soul-stirring truth – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6). Friends, God didn’t wait to delight in us because we chose Him or decided to receive Him into our lives. If He did, He would never delight in us because no one can or would come to Him first – No one understands; no one seeks God (Romans 3:11). Rejoice in a God who took delight in a people for His own possession from eternity.
Next, God delights in us when we fall flat on our faces as His children. Be honest. We are Christians who fumble, bumble, and stumble our way in the Christian life. We grow spiritually lazy. We fall to temptation. We neglect the Lord. We let the world into our hearts and minds way too much. Yet, God delights in us. Always. Our performance or lack of performance as Christians does not lessen or intensify His delight in us. It is a constant, not because we are constant in obeying Him, but because we are in Christ. Take time and read the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Focus on chapter one and note how many references are given to believers being “in Christ, in Him.” This is how God delights in us. He does so because He delights in His Perfect Son and since we are forever united with His Perfect Son, He perfectly delights in us.
When it comes to God delighting in us, this is not easy truth to believe. There is a devil and our conscience that want to constantly remind us how far we fall short of God’s glory and standards. Both spiritual foes will go to great lengths to convince us God would never take delight in such people as us. Fight against them by not looking at ourselves as the cause of God’s delight in us, but because we are in Christ. Learn, even pray, for God to show us how He always sees us, and not how we see ourselves. As we do, we will grow in our adoration and worship of Him who really does take delight in us – always.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for delighting in me because of my union in Your Son.”
QUOTE: “Do not listen to the lies of the devil or conscience. God does delight in us. Really.”