A Prayer

A brother in the Lord and friend of The Chapel where my family and I worship came and spoke yesterday morning at our service. He spoke of the Father's delight in us, His children, and how experiencing His love and delight provide the foundation and motivation for change in us. But we must experience His delight.

He talked about the church's lack of joy, and how it stems from not knowing the Father's heart for us. [You know, it's funny... I'm not sure if he, Tommy Green, explicitly spoke the specific things I have written here, but still, it's how the Holy Spirit spoke to me through the message.]

I found myself, as Tommy talked about God delighting in us, almost rejecting such a notion. It's a concept that I have heard and known for years in my Christian walk, but it's just that, a concept. I'm not sure if I have ever truly experienced, or ever truly believed that the Father, the Creator, could truly delight in me.

Me? How could He really enjoy me? How could He delight in me?

I'm OK with God delighting in others. But me?

I fall so short. I'm so inadequate. I'm not good enough. How could the Creator, the Holy One, in whom there is no sin or unrighteousness, truly delight in me?

It would seem I should be OK with this notion after years of walking with Him, but I'm not. Sure, I might be able to muster up some faith and believe this to be true, but it's only been head knowledge for me. I know in Christ I have peace with God and can enjoy His grace, but delight? That's like, actively rejoicing over me! Does God really do that?

If God truly delights in me, and truly finds joy in me, then I want to experience that delight. I want to experience the joy and peace that I believe, or have heard, comes from that experience.

And then I want to walk in it. Never to leave His delight.

I'm one who I feel lacks true joy. And from what I can understand and at least conceptualize, if I knew and experienced the Father's delight in me, it would produce that joy and freedom in my life.

Lord, please help me to experience and truly know how you really see me, and how you delight in me.