Delight by Wesley Kouba

Did you know that the Lord delights in you (Ps 18:19)? Did you know that you are wonderful to Him because He made you (Ps 139:14)? When God made the world, over and over again He said that it was “good” (Gen 1). Think about that for a bit. It is good. Like a good steak or a good cup of coffee. A good time with a close friend or a loved one. A good night’s sleep or a really good sunset. A good kiss or a good overdue hug after a long absence.

Think about the wonderful things in this life. Consider all the things that bring a smile to our face and joy into our lives. Kids laughing and playing. Birds singing and animals frolicking. A stunning array of wildflowers or the vista views atop a mountain peak. Ice cream flavors to ocean waves all bring pleasure, happiness and delight.

Think about someone that you love and how you delight in them. Maybe your kids or grandkids, your fiance or spouse. Maybe it’s a best friend or a parent or grandparent. They’re different from you, but they understand you, get you and have loved you through your best and worst moments of life. When you think about them, you are so grateful for all the ways they delight in you and you in them.

Too often we as Christians forget that God delights in us. We forget that our entire existence is His “good” idea. Our formation and creation He made, and when He saw us, He said “It is good.” We get so stressed out trying to do things for God. We tell ourselves that “I should read my Bible more often. I should pray more. I should do more for God.” And while these motivations can certainly be healthy at times, I’m convinced that more often than not, they stem from our forgetfulness that God already delights in us.

Prayer, reading Scripture, serving one another and forgiving others should not be driven by guilt. Healthy guilt (different from shame) drives us to change. However, unhealthy guilt in these areas often stems from a view that God is unhappy with us and that our relational status with Him is dependent upon our actions. Nothing could be further from the truth. God loved us while we were still sinners. Loving the Lord and loving others as ourselves is driven by the fundamental truth and reality that God loves us and that in Christ Jesus, He is always faithful even when we are faithless.

So, this week I’d encourage you to try and operate from a framework of God’s delight in you. Take a walk and recall that God delights in you. Take a nap and stop working and remember that God delights in you at all times, not just when you’re working hard. Start your devotional time in quiet silence with the Lord with your favorite tea or a good cup of coffee and think about God delighting in you as you delight in being with Him and enjoying a delightful drink that He has made for you to enjoy! Jesus is faithful even when you and I are not. He loves you and delights in you. Let’s start from this truthful perspective this week!