A Prayer about Enjoying 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 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.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Lord,
We believe; help our unbelief.
We believe you have already come into our midst
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe you are a mighty one
who has already saved us from our sins
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But in the next line of this magnificent verse,
we stutter and stumble.
We think that maybe you will rejoice in us
some day in the future
when we are more holy,
that you will love us
some day in the future
when we never sin again,
that you will exult in us with loud singing
some day in the future
when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.
But that’s not what Scripture tells us.
The gospel good news
for all who trust in Jesus
is that right this minute,
you are rejoicing over us,
right this minute
you are quieting us with your love,
right this minute
and you are exulting over us with loud singing.
You saved us.
You love us.
You delight in us.
You sing extra-loud over us,
like the five-year-old who loves to sing
at the top of his lungs
because he’s so happy.
Help us today to sit quietly
and listen for the sound
of your delight in us,
and may that delight
change the way we live and love
today and every day.
In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)