Do you know how to enjoy God?
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11
God Who Delights in Us,
Yesterday, my friends and I prayed
to believe in your delight in us through your Son Jesus Christ
and with the help of your Holy Spirit.
Today we pray that
as we marvel at your incomprehensible love
and overwhelming delight in us,
we would fulfill our greatest calling:
to glorify and enjoy you forever.
What does it mean to enjoy and delight in you?
Alexander Whyte wrote,
“Joy is the purest, deepest, and most satisfying delight
that can possess the heart of man….”
We should ask,
“What is the most satisfying delight that I can possess?”
Is it…
the perfect job,
a loving spouse,
a happy child,
a clear scan?
We are often tricked by the world
and our own sinful tendencies
to believe that our deepest joy
can be found somewhere in the here and now.
We are also often tricked by the world
and our own sinful tendencies
to believe that if we work hard enough
or live a “good enough’ life,
we will be rewarded with this illusive and elusive joy.
But the reality is that our deepest joy
has been here all along.
“In your presence there is fullness of joy.”
As we soak in your beaming delight in us,
our faces radiate that joy back to you.
It is a call and response of joy and delight and love.
You call out, “I love you. I delight in you. I rejoice over you.”
And we call back, “We love you. We delight in you. We rejoice in you.”
As all of creation hears this call and response,
everyone longs to join in.
That’s what it means to glorify you and enjoy you forever.
It really is that simple.
May we rest in the fullness of your exceeding joy
that we might make you our exceeding joy.
In Jesus’ joy-bringing name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-17; Psalm 16; Psalm 43:4-5.
