Psalm 18:16-19 NLT
He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.
David sang this psalm to the Lord when He rescued David from Saul and his enemies.
These verses have meant a lot to me in the last several years. My enemies are different from the enemies that David is writing about here; nevertheless I can identify with God’s deliverance.
Notice the action verbs of God.
He reached down, He drew me out, He rescued, He supported, He led, He rescued.
My entire life I have read these verses focused on the action of God in deliverance, and rightly so. However, in the last several years my heart has been drawn to the end of these verses. “BECAUSE HE DELIGHTS IN ME”
Delight—-the fuel behind the action of God in these verses.
Delight: “a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; satisfaction or happiness” (Dictionary.com and Dictionary.cambridge.org)
I picture the joy I have as a parent in my children. I love them, protect them, but more than that; they bring me deep satisfaction and pleasure. I adore them and love spending time with them simply because they are my children.
I grew up in a home and church where there was not a great deal of emphasis placed upon the fact that God delights in me, or found satisfaction and pleasure in me simply because I am His child. As I learned about God I internalized that there was always something to be done to be worthy of His love. The delight of God was a foreign concept to me for many years. I felt God was pleased with me only when I worked hard, strived for perfection, and did not mess up too many times. In many ways I was afraid of God. I saw him as a God waiting and ready to be disapproving of me, harsh, and punishing. I did not see Him as a loving Father, and certainly not as Someone who delighted in me.
My recovery journey from an eating disorder and alcoholism has been a spiritual journey as well as physical, emotional and mental. In all actuality, each of these facets of recovery are holistically intertwined. Learning who God really is, not simply who I had internalized Him to be growing up in my family and church, was life changing.
My shame and harsh self-critic were met and overtaken by the grace and delight of God for me. I spent many hours in the Psalms, and still do, to learn more of the caring of God for me. God is not simply a God of rules, of harsh demands, standing over me to strike me when I do not measure up. Shame is not from God. Conviction, yes. Shame, no. God, in the Psalms, shows me what a caring Father is. He delights in me!
An amazing transformation then happens. I am no longer motivated by my fear of God to live a life for him. My overflowing heart is filled with the knowledge that I am held tenderly, loved completely, and bring delight to my Father. He wants to enter into a deep relationship with Him. My life then, is lived in a way that this confident security in my caring Father touches everything I do and every relationship I have.
It has been a paradigm shift within my mind and body to take in that the God of the universe who created me, not only wants to save me and offer eternal freedom, but delights in me and wants to have a close relationship with me!
What about you? Do you know deep down that the God who has chosen, called, saved and preserves you also delights in you? Let that sink in and see if that doesn’t change how you see yourself! You bring pleasure and joy to the God of the universe who seeks out a close relationship with you as His child!