Simply Delightful

He rescued me, because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19

WHEN I SAW the note my daughter’s kindergarten teacher sent home with her, I thought, Oh boy. Here we go. My daughter is full of life, energy, and words. She is a storyteller and a talker. I know. Apples don’t fall far from the trees. The only times I got into trouble growing up were when I was being a chatterbox. I remember hearing teachers say to my parents, “Amy is a bright learner with tons of potential, but she needs to learn not to talk so much to her peers during class.

But as I unfolded the note, I read these words: “Your daughter is simply delightful to have in my classroom!” Delightful. What a word. This was the best note I had ever read. She immediately became my favorite teacher in the entire world.

Can you say delightful without smiling? I dare you. Nice try. You can’t.

Its definition is so lovely: “please greatly, charm, enchant, captivate, entrance, thrill.” And this, dear friend, is how God sees you. He finds you simply delightful.

I so badly want to take that truth and run. But I trip over all my terrible thoughts, my judgment of others, and the straight-up sin in my life. Where does my darkness fit into His delight?

The writer of Psalm 18 addresses this very question:

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Verses 16-19, NIV

Haven’t we been overwhelmed? Surrounded by enemies and disaster? In need of help inside and out? Yes. God sees and knows all of this. He knows we need to be rescued from ourselves and the darkness surrounding us. But do you see it?

God’s delight in us fuels His rescue of us. His delight propels Him to action:

The LORD your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17, NIV

The darkness within us and surrounding us does not push God away. In fact, just the opposite happens. We can stand confidently on this truth: God always wants to be near us. Even in our darkest places. Just like a loving parent, He moves in close to His children, fights for them, and saves them because He delights in them. What a gracious God. Amen.

GRACE REFLECTION: Do you find yourself delightful? Why or why not? No matter your answer, God does delight in you. His delight is a gift of grace to you