Morning Devotional

November 28, 2004
"The Delight of God"

by Don Emmitte

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Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will fear disaster no more. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song." (Zephaniah 3:14-17 NLT).

God takes delight in you! He rejoices over you with singing! What a marvelous thought!

I love the glow in my grandchildren’s faces when I see them reacting to the love of their parents. There is one picture that we have of Faith as Kyle is holding her in front of him. In it, she is smiling from ear to ear! Being held and loved brings the most wonderful reactions from them. It seems to bring such pleasure to them. I react to God the same way with joy in my heart whenever I read this verse!

The idea that God delights in me is a fact too amazing for me to fully comprehend! I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't feel very delightful! Sometimes I wonder how I can even stand myself! Yet, God, the Creator, Sustainer, Lord Almighty, the Great I AM, takes personal delight in me! Not because of who I am, but because of who I am to Him. His delight does not begin with me. The delight of the Lord in me begins with Him. I am His creation. He delights in me because it pleases Him to delight in me.

What a precious joy it is to stand at the bedside of an infant baby and sing a lullaby to them as they sleep. Oh, the love felt for them as parents rejoice over their birth with singing!

Picture this! God rejoices over you and me with singing! What a wonderful testimony of the depth of our Father's love! As you lay down to sleep tonight, listen carefully for your Father's tender voice, as He takes great delight in you and rejoices over you with His singing!