More From Michelle L. Mackey

Besides my own thoughts on God delighting in us, I also realized others don’t always believe God delights in us after reading “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4, NRSVUE) during a Bible study I was leading.

One of the participants commented under her breath, “Yeah, right.” She didn’t mean for me to hear that comment, so I continued the lesson, yet her unbelief at God’s delight and blessings has stuck with me.

Just as I found when I wrote the devotion, I discovered that scripture is full of references to God’s delight in us and our delight in him and his laws. That includes the key verse from my devotion, Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Yet there is so much more than God rejoicing over us with loud singing.

God also rejoices over us with gladness and renews us with his love. Instead of an angry parent who yells at us to do better, God saves us and rejoices over us. Not only does God rejoice over us, but he also rejoices over us with gladness! What an amazing picture! If you grew up with someone proclaiming that God is angry with you and disappointed, read that verse again. God’s not angry, God delights in you. Just as parents delight in their children, God delights in you.

Even when we don’t obey, God still loves us. Much like parents still love their children even when they are disobedient. A child’s actions may be disrespectful and childish, but parents know they aren’t always that way and still love them. Parent’s love their children’s core being, their personality, who they are. That is what God loves about us too.

No matter the source of our problems, when we turn to God, God will provide a way through. The ride may be bumpy, there may be difficulties we couldn’t predict, but God will provide comfort, peace, and love for us because God delights in us.Not only does God delight in us, but he also rejoices over us with gladness! God created us. And just like a good parent, God’s love is unconditional, absolute, and complete.

Zephaniah 3:17 tells us God also renews us “by his love.” How? Visualize yourself completely and wholly loved, with no strings attached. Imagine someone loving and accepting you for who you are, even if you make mistakes and mess up. How does that feel? Does that make you happy? Feel content? Secure? Able to conquer the world? That’s the power of God’s love.

It says that God will exult over us with loud singing. I’m left wondering what that will sound like. What do you think God loudly singing over you will sound like?