For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people; He will beautify the meek with salvation. Psalm 149:4
Make a list of all of the things you have done today. Or if you are reading this in the morning, make a list of all the things you remember doing yesterday. Take a good, hard look at the list, and see which items you are proud of. What items on that list would you be proud to show to others? Which ones do you think others would be proud of you for doing? If you are anything like me, too many of the items on that list are pretty worthless. Hopefully, none of them are destructive. Take another look at that list and try to figure out which ones God enjoyed watching you do. How short would that list be? Our text tells us He takes pleasure in us. What is there in us for Him to take pleasure in?
For one thing, God must always take pleasure in His Son, and we are in His Son. Mind you, some Christians show more of the Son than others, and to the extent that we allow the Lord Jesus to be our Lord and to be displayed in our life, the more pleasure God must receive. It is a wonderful privilege, in a world that uses His name as a swear word, to speak well of the Lord Jesus, and to seek to do His will, and to show others what he is like. We have His words to follow and His example to emulate, so we can surely bring pleasure to the heart of God.
Did you ever sit and watch young children playing? Those of us with little children of our own, or grandchildren, are especially drawn to the activities of those who are so dear to us. We enjoy their every move, and delight in seeing them laugh and romp. Even when they are not doing much, we enjoy just watching the expressions on their faces listening to their chatter. We never tire of seeing them enjoy their play and their companions, and our hearts burst with love when they smile or share a hug. If we so enjoy our little children, how much more must God enjoy His little children? Christians make up a tiny percentage of the earth’s population, and yet, our God delights that the tiny few actually love Him in response to His great love to us. Amid the lies and cursing of earth, there are a few who bless and thank Him. There are a few who belong to Him forever, and we are precious to Him. We are the apple of His eye, the precious jewels He has gathered. He takes pleasure in us.
We may feel like insignificant saints, unnoticed and unappreciated. But Heaven’s attention is focused on us in delight. Our God enjoys the fact that we are His, and thrills when we remind Him of His Son. -Jim MacIntosh