Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Lord's Great Delight

by Suzie Johnson
"And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" ~ Matthew 3:17

Most, if not all of us reading this blog, long to please the Lord in some way. I know I do. Fortunately, since I tend to fail a lot, I’m covered by His grace.

courtesy of thebiblerevival.com
I have this long standing image of the Lord holding out His arms, face beaming, as He says words similar to those same ones He spoke over Jesus when he was baptized in the Jordan River, "You are my child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

The very thought fills my entire being with a warm glow and I feel incredibly loved.

I don’t think I’ve ever shared this with anyone, not even my sister. But somehow she must have known because she sent me a card this week with an unfamiliar scripture on the front. I may have read it before and stored it in my subconscious, but I can’t be sure. I do wonder though, if this is where I came by my initial image of God being pleased with me.

"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." ~ Zephaniah 3:17

courtesy of thebiblerevival.com 
I never imagined God taking delight in me. Pleased, yes, but taking that concept deeper to Him taking great delight in me – it’s a new thought for me. Even more so, the image of Him singing over me with joy, gives me a sense of gladness so deep down in my soul, I can barely express what I’m feeling.

Music has always drawn me close to the Lord. This fact and the timing of my sister choosing a card with this scripture has reminded me that God’s timing is perfection. That she sent me this scripture at this particular time – God must have been sitting on her shoulder while she looked at cards and nudged her toward this one. My desire to give my best in whatever I do has been renewed because of it. (Thank you, Pam!)

I now have a burning desire to attain the utmost in this scripture – the part where not only is God delighting in me, He’s singing over me with joy!

What images do you hold onto of God?
Did they come from scriptures you read, or from something you were taught?

Suzie Johnson’s debut novel, No Substitute, a contemporary inspirational novel, will be released by White Rose Press later this year. She is a member of ACFW, RWA, and is the cancer registrar at her local hospital. The mother of a wonderful young man, who makes her proud every day, Suzie lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and naughty little cat. Although the beaches there are rocky instead of sandy, lined with Madrona trees instead of Palm trees, and the surf is much too cold for wading, it is still the perfect spot for writing inspirational fiction. You can visit her blog, Suzie's Writing Place at http://suzieswritingplace.blogspot.com/.

11 comments:

  1. This is one of my favourite verses. I even found a beautiful peaceful artwork with the verse on it.
    It was also said to me once that this verse could even imply God dancing over us. WOW!!!
    Be blessed today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it's a tough one to really grasp. Especially when I'm feeling very "un pleased" with myself. Thanks for the reminder Suzie! Lovely post.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know he is singing over you today and everyday! I am thankful he "loaned" me such a beautiful sister that brings me joy and inspires me everyday. Congratulations on your recent success and I will love you more tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Elaine, I love artwork with scriptures on them. I read a few different translations of this scripture, and I could easily see how it could be interpreted as God dancing over us. And I agree with you - Wow! It is an awesome image.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deb, I think that's why we need to cling to the knowledge that through Jesus, God's grace washes over us and cleanses the part of us that we are unpleased with. Then we can fully embrace the image of Him singing over us with joy.

    I know all to well that this is easier said than done.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pammy, He is singing over you, too! I know He is. :-) I'm thankful for you, too. I love you and miss you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's lovely. It's SO hard for me to imagine myself being delightful, wondrous, even beautiful in His eyes, but it's true. Obviously, He sees what I can't, but it's wonderful.

    Thanks for the reminder. :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hmm, left a comment earlier, but I guess it didn't go through. This post gave me goose bumps. Just lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are, DeAnna, you are. Beautiful, delightful and so loved. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you, Dina. When I was working on this, I was thinking of you, and your dancing, and wishing I could express myself with dance the way you do.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely, Suzie. Just lovely. It's something to remember always, that we are all gorgeous and fabulous in His eyes!

    ReplyDelete

Share This Post

How Our Giveaways Work: The Official Rules

We, the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations, would love to give free stuff to everybody. Since we can't, we will often have a giveaway in conjunction with a specific post. Unless otherwise stated, one winner will be drawn from comments left on that post between the date it was published and the end of the giveaway as determined in the post. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address. This address is used only to contact the commenter in the event that he/she is the winner, and will not be sold, distributed, or used in any other fashion. The odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. NO PURCHASE, PLEDGE, OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Pinterest