Just as my family takes great delight in my baking, just as I delight in all the tiny details and careful precision it takes to create a beautifully sculpted pie from a few simple ingredients, just as my heart delights in watching those I love, love something I put my whole self into creating… on an even grander, more unfathomable scale, God takes sweet delights in us.

As I sat down for my quiet time Tuesday evening, I intended to read from Proverbs 18. Yet, somehow, found myself in Psalms 18. After reading through the chapter it was blatantly clear to me that The Lord does in fact use everything for a purpose… even my mistake of opening a passage of scripture I did not intend to study. Psalms 18 was definitely the message He wanted on my heart to share with all of you.

I’m constantly in awe of His wonder.

Psalm 18 is a song of praise from David to God, thanking Him for deliverance from his enemies. David paints a vivid, exciting picture of his human weakness calling upon the name of the Lord, whom he declares to be his Rock// Stronghold//Fortress//Deliverer//Shield//Horn of Salvation. God indeed hears David’s cries and not only does He answer, He answers in a way that only God can. Shaking mountains, quaking the Earth, descending from His throne, covering himself in clouds with smoke & fire, and literally reaching down to destroy David’s enemies and save his life.

That’s a serious Superhero.

Psalm 18:16-19
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

While reading this Psalm I naturally imagined myself as David. Only, instead of being in the midst of war with human enemies, I’m in my own war- fighting disease, death & dying, suffering, & pain with the enemy dwelling inside of me: my very body.

David tells us that his Divine rescue can be counted as reward for his righteousness, blamelessness, & purity (basically his obedience to God). The Lord definitely rewards us for our obedience, or rather, our attempts at obedience, to His Will. But, that doesn’t mean that all Followers will be healed, rescued or saved from their Earthly circumstances. Nor does it mean all Non-Believers will suffer ruin through their physical lives.

I frequently find myself posing these questions, sometimes to God in prayer, and sometimes just in general wonder of my own circumstances:

Why has God chosen to save me? What did He see in me that got Him off the throne to reach down & lay His healing hand upon my body? In a situation that many would not survive, what has stopped Him from allowing disease to completely overtake my physical life?

Verse 19 gives me the only answer I need:

“He rescued me because He delighted in me.”

Hear that? The Lord God DELIGHTS in you and me!!!

Delight = great pleasure; to please greatly.

Synonyms include: captivate, charm, please, joy, glee.

There is something about ME that My Heavenly Father takes great pleasure in. I am His masterpiece, His work of art, His portrait, His clay, His making, His doing, His creation. And when I am obedient to His Word, when I seek His desires, His will above my selfish own—I know His delight in me bursts forth in glorious day.

In fact, our obedience to God gives Him such an overflowing amount of pleasure that, as He demonstrated through David in Psalm 18, He is willing to literally come down from Heaven to fight off our enemies himself and personally rescue our helpless souls.

I can’t even begin to fathom such a wondrous love!

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Presenting: From-scratch Classic Lemon Meringue Pie.

        

My daddy’s favorite and one of my beloved Mamaw’s specialties. For years she made chocolate or lemon meringue pies weekly to feed her growing boys. As I worked on this labor of love I felt her presence with me. I remembered the way she taught me the technique to a perfect meringue. I felt my dearly missed grandmother guiding my hands, tweaking my senses, letting me know when to stop whipping & when to keep working. Yesterday was her very first birthday in Heaven; she would have been 82. Norma Jean, this pie is in honor of you, feisty lady.

With freshly-whipped-cloudlike meringue, spread messily across his cute face & a smile brimming from ear to ear, Vincent’s delight in these pictures is absolutely undeniable. All it took was one lick of this scrumptious fluff to see the pleasure in his eyes. It’s hard to believe or imagine a delight any greater than this. But, God’s delight in you, His delicious, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind creation, far exceeds any delight we could experience in this life.

He rescued me because He delighted in me.

Every single day that you call upon His name He will rescue you from whatever demons threaten your safety. The name of The Lord is our safe-zone, our strong tower (Proverbs 18), our impenetrable shield.

Live in obedience.

Demonstrate trust.

Strive for understanding.

Seek His word and His truth.

And, oh, what sweet sweet delight He will discover in you.