THE CROWN OF DELIGHT

Kathryn Stouffer

Central Truth

God delights in us. Even when we are in hard situations, He gives us opportunities to glorify Him and teach others about Him, His unconditional love, and His everlasting forgiveness.

For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he exalts the oppressed by delivering them.
(Psalm 149:4)

Sing to the LORD a New Song

1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
    and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
    and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
    This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!

Verse 4 of Psalm 149 says that the Lord takes delight in His people. I think this means that God loves us and takes every opportunity to show us His love. God shows His love to me every day, even when I act like a "turkey" (as my dad calls it) or just a self-centered person. God definitely shows unconditional love by providing the everyday things that I take for granted, like my family, friends, and house. He also is so gracious and forgiving of my mistakes, and He still loves me even when I don't act like I love and care about Him.

When I switched schools two years ago, God put me in a tough place. Even though the new school has been difficult, it has been neat to see how God has given me many chances to delight Him by being a witness to others in my new school and showing them how great it is to know Christ. I have learned that I can't delight Him when I am acting in my own strength. If I rely on myself, I often act like a "turkey" and put the focus on me instead of the Lord.

When I believed in Christ, I made a covenant with Him to let Him lead my life through the Holy Spirit. Often, I find myself forgetting this promise and relying on myself to get through tough situations. For some reason, when I make a promise with a friend, it is generally easy to keep it. Why is it when I make a promise to God, who is the best friend I could possibly have, that I often break it? I am grateful that God is teaching me to be humble and rely on the Holy Spirit to exalt and deliver me instead of on myself.

1. When you believe in Christ as your savior, you make a decision to have faith in Him and rely on His plans, not yours. Do you think you keep your commitment to God and consider it as important as a promise you would make to your best friend, or do you often dismiss it? Why?

2. How does God show you that He takes delight in His people, specifically you, your friends, and family?

3. Has God put you in a situation in which you can be a "delight" to Him? How are you taking advantage of this situation?