Zephaniah 3:14-20
by Ashley Evans
“…He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing…” – Zephaniah 3:17
Artwork by Taylor L.
DELIGHT…What a terrific word that we do not use very often.
- give great pleasure
- to be highly pleased
- rejoice
- joy
- pleasure
- enjoyment
- happiness
- pleased feeling
This time of year, if I take a minute to think about things that delight me, they would be: a decorated Christmas tree, my husband, my children, our choir singing Christmas carols, being with close friends, laughing, hugs, the children on Christmas morning, seeing God in the small daily ways, holding hands. It is all about people and relationships for me. People need to rank higher than other things on my To-Do List. I remember the way Mary “stopped just to be with Jesus,” and to listen and not to continue to “stir” like Martha. I already pray daily for “Mary Moments” with my children, but I am now praying during Advent to have those moments with the people I love. God doesn’t seem to be too busy, ever, so why am I?
If the way things delight us is a glimmer of what God must be feeling towards us, we shouldn’t let anything affect the way we think or act except with full confidence that God, the Almighty, the King of Kings, is rejoicing over us and taking great pleasure with us. He said so in the Bible in Zephaniah. I want to delight in God and in others.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be amazed by you. Help me to trust you, be still and commit to you. Help me to delight in you and in others as you have said that you delight in me. Amen.