God Delights in You

Are you discouraged about your life? Do you wonder if anything you do matters? Have you questioned God about the purpose of your life? 

I have. I have felt bogged down and slowed up. I have wondered what in the world I am on this planet for and if what I find myself doing each day is of any worth. 

Many of us have our nose to the grind, doing enough each day to get ourselves through it as well as those dependent on us. It is a rare moment that we can lift our heads to look around and ask these perplexing and disheartening questions. Too many of us, instead of facing the answers, duck our heads again and distract ourselves with the routines we’ve surrounded ourselves with. But the distractions don’t always work, do they? Our energy and enthusiasm for life continues to drain away as we become more and more miserable. 

Gee, you think, thanks for that depressing reality. I think I’ll go now. But before you check out, I have some really encouraging news. 

If your life is miserable, I challenge you to examine your relationship with God. Are you actually in a love relationship with Him, or are you holding Him at arms length, acknowledging His existence but distancing yourself from His presence? 

Psalm 37:23 says that the LORD, the Eternally Present One, directs the steps of His beloveds, the ones who love and trust Him, and He gets so excited about every detail of their lives. Do you know that God is present with you even when you are hiding in the grind of life? That He actually enjoys being a part of your life and longs to direct your steps into good and life-giving things? Your parents didn’t force God to create a life when they conceived you. No, God was excited to spark a new life, one so unique that no other life would ever match it. Can you imagine, then, how sad He must feel that you dislike and check out from your life? That wasn’t His intention at all! But if that is what you are feeling, then embrace this hope: God desires to turn your life around and fill you with good things. He longs for you to find your fulfillment and life in Him, and through Him discover your life as He imagines it, one you both can delight in. 

This hope marks the beginning of a journey, one that will require something of you: perseverance no matter the discomfort. It means developing trust with the Eternally Present One, that He does have good steps planned for you even if the next one looks scary or threatening. It means choosing to immerse yourself in the Love Letter of God’s Word and the company of other Beloveds learning to love and be loved. This is not a wish, something you give a mental assent to but do nothing about. And it will take time, but He is up for the journey if you are, and He will supply all you’ll need for it too.