Enjoying the God who Delights in Us

Enjoying God does not come easy.  But we can be more apt to relish Him when we understand the depth and degree to which the Lord enjoys us.

The best job I've ever had was being an elementary school gym teacher.  If the pay had been worth while, I may never have left it.  The reason was simple:  I had the admiration of every kid in that building.

I didn't know anything about teaching.  I had no snazzy methods or dazzling teaching techniques.  I was just in charge of play.  My day consisted of kickball, dodgeball, tag, basketball, and what amounts to infinite fun.

And the kids loved it; they loved ME.  I could do no wrong in their eyes.  They looked forward to my class.  They shouted at me in the hallways, "HI COACH!"  The level of enthusiasm of these wee tots was cranked to extreme every day.

But I've also taught high school sophomores. 

Not long after starting that job did I learn the etymology of the term.  It may go without saying that these were dark days in my life.  If purgatory were a real, I would certainly say that it consists of two consecutive periods of being an instructor at this level.

It is obvious which group of kids I enjoyed most and who's company I preferred.  I delighted in the wee tots because they so much delighted in me.

This provides us with one of the keys to enjoying God.  We will be more inclined to enjoy God when we understand just how enamored He is with us.

Sometimes we do not fully enjoy God because we do not fully realize the extent to which the Lord delights in us.  Often our view of God is distorted: we see him as an angry tyrant, an ogre, an unpalatable judge.  As a result, we live in fear of Him and serve from a distance.

But we must remember that this is a false image.  The Lord always sees us in Christ.  Thus, we may hear the echos of "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased." 

God's Word emphasizes this repeatedly when it tells us that He rejoices over us with singing; He works all things for our good, and He loves us with an everlasting love.

Psalm 147 & 149 state it in the clearest language when they say, "The Lord takes pleasure in his people."

God takes pleasure in us!  It is no wonder why these two Psalms are so jubilant and full of praise.  The Psalmist is only reciprocating the personal exuberance that God himself shows to us.​

Read more in this week's Hopewell Weekly...

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