God’s Delight?

The Lord will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV)

Years ago, while reading the above scripture, I struggled with understanding how exactly God delighted in me. I mean, really? The God of the universe taking delight. In me?

I asked him to help me wrap my head around this truth. If he truly delighted in me, then I wanted to understand it. Feel it. Experience it!

Just days later I was going about my day and in a rush, pulled into the school carpool line to pick up my then 6-year old daughter from kindergarten.
Idling in the carpool line I looked up. The kids sat outside, huddled together on the grass.

As I rounded the corner, I spotted Breanna. I could tell she’d been watching for me.

When her eyes found mine, I gazed at her face. It lit up as her tiny grin turned into a huge smile. She squealed with delight, proclaiming loudly to her friend next to her,

“There’s MY mommy right there!”

She waved at me excitedly and didn’t take her eyes off me. My heart soared with sheer joy, happy tears filling my eyes. What a blessing to have my child rejoicing in my mere presence. I took great delight in that moment.

I heard God whisper to me, “Lisa, the delight you feel about Breanna is exactly how I feel about you. I delight in you when you’re looking for me and when you tell someone else about me. I delight in you simply because you’re my child.”

I’d almost forgotten about the prayer I’d prayed days earlier when I’d questioned God about his delight in me. But God had not forgotten! He often uses ordinary, daily illustrations to speak loud and clear to me. I praised him for giving me a glimpse of how he sees me.

If you’re feeling down or discouraged today, I want to encourage you with the truth that God delights in you! He sees you. He knows everything about you. He loves you. He takes great DELIGHT in you!

Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett

Check out my book, Embracing The Race: 40 Devotions for the Runner’s Soul