"All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength..."
I delight in a warm cup of tea. I delight in fresh cut flowers. I delight in being wrapped in blankets, in thunderstorms and in the smell of freshly baked bread.
The other night during a weekly prayer meeting at our church, the band began to play the song, "None but Jesus". As I began to worship, I was drawn to my knees.
"All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength..."
These words cut deeper into my soul with every note.
I delight in so many things, yet when it comes down to it, is all my delight found in the Lord?
My immediate answer was yes, yet as I pondered, my answer became a little less sure.
It is easy to find delight in the Lord when the sunshine warms my skin, when everything seems right in the world, when a smile is on my lips and when worry seems a thousand miles away.
All, however, means all. Is my delight in the Lord all the time?
When I feel lonely, when things don't go my way, when I'm struggling to make ends meet, when I'm tired, when my hope seems fleeting and joy doesn't seem to come; does my delight fade too?
As I pondered, a verse filled my heart.
It was written of Jesus in Hebrews, "...because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame..." (Heb. 12:2)
In the most bleak of circumstances and in the face of death, it was Jesus' joy to endure the cross for my sake. Why? Because of His delight in us.
Jesus didn't deserve death. We didn't deserve our place taken. Yet God had set us as the object of His affection. For no reason we could have given Him, God took delight in us. He deemed relationship with us worthy of His Son's death. And it was Jesus' delight to do it, knowing His sacrifice meant our freedom.
In light of Christ's sacrifice, it seems strange that my delight can fade so easily. I realized it is when my eyes are on my circumstances, my delight will change based on what I see. Yet when I fix my eyes on Jesus, my delight is fixed in Him. Emotions and circumstances may change, but if my hope is set in Christ, my peace and my joy remain secure.
Jesus is my delight.
"There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Crucified to set me free, now I live to bring Him praise."
"For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Zeph. 3:17
