His delight
I wrote this in June 2021 in the midst of a summer full of unmet expectations. I waited on publishing this until I felt this had all sunk in and it was the words the LORD wanted. I pray this is an encouragement to not only those approaching post-grad, but to anyone else who struggles with unmet expectations or comparison or the mundane!
“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior; the LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” Psalm 147:10-11
“the LORD favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.” Psalm 147:11
“the LORD Yahweh takes pleasure in, sets His affection on, enjoys, finds pleasing, is satisfied with those who wait for His tender embrace.” Psalm 147:11
The summer before senior year of college - get an internship! make connections! make money! be impressive! don’t disappoint! make the most of it all! the best years of your life! it’s all down hill from here! don’t play it safe! play it safe!
Am I seeking the approval of man [Galatians 1:10]? the approval of societal pressures? Nope. I seek the delight of my God’s heart and Psalm 147 assured me that this is exactly what delights my God. Seeking His face, abiding. But here is what I have been doing: striving! I put so much pressure on myself to not disappoint, “to be great or nothing” to quote Amy March from Little Women. I’m taking this blog post to speak eternal truths over myself and over sweet sisters who have shared that they are in a similar boat.
There is nothing about us that is great. We make mistakes, we sin, we fall short, we let our circumstances determine our emotions, we abide in laziness and loneliness. Jesus is the only thing great and if He lives in you then He is the only great thing about you [2 Corinthians 4:5-12]. But that’s what is so crazy. Psalm 147:10 not only tells us God does not find His delight in our accomplishments, but He also does not delight in us being a perfect Christian - there is no such thing. He delights when we seek His face in total awe and surrender. & He is faithful to draw near. Wow!
My sweet friend, whose conversations have left me feeling sustained and edified because it is simply a boomerang effect of sharing Scripture with one another, sent me an excerpt from the highly acclaimed book, Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund.
“But Jesus does not say that those with pain-free lives are never cast out. He says those who come to Him are never cast out. It is not what life brings to us but to whom we belong that determines Christ’s heart of love for us. The only thing required to enjoy such love is to come to Him. To ask Him to take us in. He does not say, “Whoever comes to me with sufficient contrition,” or “Whoever comes to me feeling bad enough for their sin,” or “Whoever comes to me with redoubled efforts.” He says, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
That’s tough for me to swallow. The fact that He is interested in our trust, not our talents [I heard that at bible study this summer. That is not original to me, but isn’t it good!]. The fact that He is interested in our hearts more than our career! The fact He doesn’t require us to feel a certain way when approaching Him! Who are we to be the recipients of His Romans 8:38-39 love?
I’ve been reading through the Bible with The Bible Recap and one week Tara Leigh Cobble spoke on striving versus abiding. I have viewed that concept in the context of spending time with Him, worshipping Him, and reading the Word. She was explaining it in the context of walking out our daily calling. It described my current mindset — we are human beings and not human doings:
“God knows our human nature longs to earn things and feel accomplished. But the very nature of His relationship with us is one where we’re the recipients not the earners, not the doers. He is the doer and He says it’s done. Hebrews 4 says Jesus is our Sabbath Rest. It frees us up from striving for His approval and favor.”
Observing a Sabbath comes back to trust. When we’re not feeling it, do we trust His way is better? When we’re busy, do we trust He will provide? When we’re in an off season and not super busy, do we trust He is the true provider of rest?
All this to say, He is sovereign and He reigns above it all and HE CALLS US SON & DAUGHTER. He is near in the turned down opportunities. He is near in the mundane, in the excitement, in the spontaneity. Horizontal focus, aka comparison, leads to debilitating emotions. We must give Him glory in the anguish and in the triumph. We must hold a vertical focus, an audience of the One. That is when we are able to see His glory and His hand in the day to day. And that is where His joy, protection, and peace is found. The good stuff, the real stuff, the sustaining stuff.