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 good grade, 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 are “good enough,” 

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