Interruption Glimpse

I know I'm in the process of sharing my Parable of the Knee, but God gave me a glimpse of who He is this week that I can't keep to myself. That's why this is called an Interruption Glimpse.

A friend gave birth to a baby girl and I called to congratulate her. In the process of sharing her experience she mentioned that the Lord had drawn her to read Psalm 18 during the delivery. When the phases came when she wasn't able to read it herself, she had her husband read the God-breathed message to her. With a recommendation like that, as soon as I hung up the phone I pulled out my Bible and turned to this precious portion of Scripture.

The first thing I noticed is that this psalm is a song that David sang when the Lord delivered him from the hand of his enemies and specifically from the hand of Saul. I like to get an idea of the setting and/or background of what I'm going to read so that was helpful. I read my way down through the verses alternately overwhelmed by the greatness of God and my own unworthiness.
I've had a fairly standard walk as a Christian with plenty of struggles and opportunities to rely on God. Verses 16 and 17 spoke clearly to the way the Lord rescues His people from deep waters, powerful enemies, and strong foes. I affirmed the Lord's provision of support in the face of confrontation as outlined in verse 18. The imagery was flowing along as expected until I came to verse 19, He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

The word delighted jumped me out and stopped me cold. The word was familiar to me because a dear friend has been sharing her efforts at delighting in the Lord in the midst of life in a fallen world. It's not a word that I use a lot, but my friend and I have been considering Psalm 37:4, Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. This familiar verse directs the believer to delight in the Lord BUT Psalm 18 says that God is the one who does the delighting. It was a shocking surprise!

The basic concept made sense to me with what we know about God. God is the Creator and we are the creatures He made in His image. Scripture teaches that God is the definition of love. 1 John 4:16 We, as His workmanship, are able to love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 The more we understand, rest in, and enjoy the love God has for us, the more we are able to share that love with those around us. It's not something that we need to stir up or work at or develop on our own.

I was reminded of the John 15 passage where Christ is described as the vine and His followers as the branches. The word remain is mentioned 10 times in the analogy. We are taught that branches that remain bear fruit. It doesn't say anything about stirring up, working at or developing anything. The branches need to remain which means "to continue to be as specified; to remain at peace." It's not a matter of effort, it's a matter of resting as is.

As I thought through verse 19 I realized that God's Word was telling me that the reason He rescued me is that He delights in me. What a light and pleasant way to consider God's thoughts and motivation toward me. Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary says that delight as a noun means a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; or rapture. As a verb delight means to give great pleasure, satisfaction or enjoyment; to please highly. The great God of the universe rescued me because He takes pleasure in me. God is satisfied with me. I bring God joy!

Once again God has opened up a whole new world to me. This time with one word. It is too much to take in! Tears flow unchecked.

I emailed my friend who is focusing on delighting in the Lord about what God was showing me. We talked about it on the phone. We're both trying to grasp all the Lord has for us in this glimpse.

The comparison with love is easy to make. God is Creator and we are His creatures made in His image. God delights in us. Therefore, we are able to delight. The more I soak up, understand, and revel in the truth that God Himself delights in Sandra, the more I will be able to delight in Him as He directs me in Psalm 37:4. Wow, it really is all about God.

I'm still sitting in the Lord's presence understanding, soaking up and reveling in this awesome truth. Why don't you consider the words of Psalm 18 yourself. My prayer is that you will be blessed with a similar awareness of how He delights in you. Amen Emmanuel