God’s Delight

READ: PSALM 42; ZEPHANIAH 3:17; HEBREWS 12:2; REVELATION 19:6-9

My twelfth-grade English teacher taught me to love Haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan. These short, three-line poems are traditionally drawn from nature, and they’re only seventeen syllables long. He described Haiku as transforming a visual image into a “word snapshot.” For example, after reading Psalm 42, I wrote this Haiku poem:

“Beneath the fearsome

waves I wait, breathless and still…

then, Your light breaks through.”

In Scripture, I think there are snapshot glimpses into God’s nature. For example, the writers of Psalm 42 feel forgotten and earnestly voice their complaint to God, yet they console themselves with images of God’s faithful love: “I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your…surging tides sweep over me. But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs…” (verse 7-8).

Other passages show us vibrant images of God’s love, like Zephaniah 3:17, where God declares He will “take delight in you with gladness…[and] rejoice over you with joyful songs.” And Isaiah describes God delighting in His people “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride” (Isaiah 62:5)—anticipating the heavenly celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb, when all God’s people will rejoice with Him at Jesus’s return (Revelation 19:6-9).

Now those are images to treasure! God rejoicing—and all heaven celebrating— with such joy that Revelation says the sound will be like “the shout of a vast crowd…or the crash of loud thunder” (19:6) all because of our wonderful Lord Jesus, who cherishes us—His bride. Just as Haiku captures the sensation of a moment, these Scriptures capture the beauty of God delighting in those He loves! Are we worth all that? Jesus says “Yes!” He gave His life because of such delight, such love for us. As Hebrews 12:2 puts it, “Because of the joy awaiting him…[Jesus] endured the cross.” How amazing to know we are part of the joy Jesus anticipated, even as He gave His life, longing to greet us at the great wedding feast to come. • G. Kam Congleton

• Which of today’s Scripture passages is your favorite? Consider taking a moment to read this passage again and ponder the fact that God is passionate about us—He truly delights in us!

• Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can look forward with joy to the day we will be raised from the dead, as Jesus was, and see Him face to face! If you want to know more, see see our “Know Jesus” page.

“He will take delight in you with gladness.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)