Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with tambourine and harp. For the LORD takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. (149:3-5)
Why should we rejoice? Why should we be glad? What should we dance? Why should we make joyful music to the LORD? Why should we sing for joy when we wake up and when we go to sleep? For the LORD takes delight in His people and crowns the humble with salvation.
God delights in us. He enjoys us. He desires us. He loves us unconditionally.
We have a hard time simply being loved. Somehow we feel like love must be earned. “God can’t love me for who I am. I must work for it.” Grace really is a hard thing to believe. I like how Michael Card (a Christian songwriter) once put it: “God cannot love us more and will not love us less.”
Who does God delight in? Not the hard-working. Not the great. Not the effective. Not the creative. Not the successful. Not the nice. He delights in the humble–the one who recognizes his weakness, his inadequacy, his dependency, and simply rests in the greatness and mercy of God. This is the heart of a child that Jesus commended. This is the pathway to true joy.
“I can sing because I am loved by the Almighty God. He delights in me and invites me to enjoy His grace and mercy forever.”