The Delight of God

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8 ESV). Our reading today pictures the glory, majesty, power, and creativity of God. Later in this psalm, we learn that we are actually “just a little lower” than the heavenly beings and have been “crowned with glory and honor.” Not only that, but we have been put in charge of God’s “handcrafted world” (v. 6 The Message). This is awe-inspiring, to be sure. But the words of Zephaniah are even more wonder-full. He tells us that this powerful, majestic God is “with us” and even takes “great delight” in us. The word delight conjures up pleasure, enjoyment, glee, and even amusement and enchantment. Not only are we trusted with great responsibility but we also bring God happiness! Many people that I see readily admit they have never really thought about God being delighted in them. In fact, they often react with incredulity simply because they have only been told how badly they have failed in their lives. That is merely half of the story of God’s work of grace. Recently I met a woman who tearfully described waking up in the middle of a dark night and feeling not only God’s presence but also God’s delight. Too often we cringe before God because of our mistakes, failures, and doubts. We are all too ready to think of ourselves merely as wretches in need of grace. While that is true, we must understand that God first response to us is that of delight as his special creation. This may be very difficult for some of you as you reflect on the depth of your failure. It may be that you truly feel that there can be no coming back from where you have gone in your life. That simply is not true. There is no situation on this side of death that God cannot forgive and restore. My hope and prayer for you today is that you will allow yourself to feel God’s “smile” as you rest in his unchanging grace. Welcome God’s favor in your moments of loving unselfishness. Appreciate God’s pleasure as you relate to him each day. And rejoice with Zephaniah in the reality that God is with you and delights in you.