"God's Delight"

Scripture Passage

2 Samuel 22:1-51; Psalm 18

Scripture Focus

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful;
     to those with integrity you show integrity.
To the pure you show yourself pure,
     but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
You rescue the humble,
     but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.
                                      (2 Samuel 22:26-28 NLT)

Observation

What a great psalm is found in 2 Samuel 22. I was thinking, as I read it, of all the ways David finds to praise God…of all the phrases and expressions by which David shows God’s care for him. I wondered, as I read, if I could do the same. I didn’t wonder if I had as many reasons to offer praise as David did—I’m confident that I do. I wondered if I could slow down long enough to reflect that thoroughly on what God has done for me.

Verse 20 caught my attention, because it’s there that David says the Lord “delights” in him. What a wonderful thought, that God should delight in us. The verses that follow articulate at least part of the reason why, as David expounds on how he has sought to honor God with his life.

I don’t think our behavior is the only reason God delights in us—or, at least, continues to love us. I love my kids even when they’re not perfect—God loved me while I was utterly oblivious to Him and trapped and deceived by my own sin. Nor is God’s delight only offered when we’re perfect. We’ve certainly seen plenty of imperfection on David’s part.

But when I see my kids give 100%--when I see them love as they have been loved—I delight in them. And so it is, I believe, with God. Though my performance may not be perfect, when my heart is pure—when my intent is right—when my delight is in Him…He delights in me.