7-27-12

Delight:
noun
 a high degree of gratification : joy; also : extreme satisfaction
  archaic : the power of affording pleasure
verb
to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly:

psalm 147:11
The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.  (niv 1984)

He is extremely satisfied with me when i fear Him (i am still trying to understand what it is to fear the Lord-thoughts on that another time.) and put my hope in His love to not fail

 i can do that!  This hope-it’s an anchor to my soul

His love will not fail-He keeps all His promises-but the one that matters the most, the one that settles my heart ALWAYS-is the promise of His love.  His love that WILL NOT FAIL. 

 sigh.  big sigh.

 Last year i studied the book of Isaiah through Bible Study Fellowship.  Right in the beginning the Lord says to Israel”

 Oh sinful nation,
people weighed down with iniquity,
brood of evildoers,
depraved children!
They have abandoned the Lord;
they have despised the Holy One of Israel;
they have turned their backs on Him.

Why do you want more beatings?
Why do you keep on rebelling?
The whole head is hurt,
and the whole heart is sick.
From the sole of the foot even to the head,
no spot is uninjured —
Only wounds, welts, and festering sores
not cleansed, bandaged,
or soothed with oil.

 Cleansing, bandaged, soothed with oil-those words almost shouted at me.  What is it that cleanses, bandages, and soothes the very wounds of my heart-and there are so many?  What was it that kept me away from the Lord all those years ago? -this description in Isaiah so perfectly describes me then.  It really boiled down what i believed about God’s love-or lack thereof-for me.  Seeing God’s character thru my circumstances, rather than seeing my circumstances thru God’s character.  i didn’t know His character-i hadn’t read the Bible.  i didn’t want to know.  i knew my circumstances full well.   i concluded wrong things about the God of the Universe. 

 It is interesting to me-the more i grasp the depths of my depravity-the more i grasp the depths of His love for me-love that cannot be caused to fail by those very depraved depths.

 There is this amazing book written by Amy Carmichael called Rose from Brier.  Chapter 37-“Thy Calvery Stills all our Questions” is my favorite.  She says; “There is only one place where we can receive, not an answer to our question, but peace—that place is Calvary.  An hour at the foot of the Cross steadies the soul as nothing else can.  ‘O Christ beloved Thy Calvary stills all our questions.’  Love that loves like that can be trusted about this.”

 Psalm 37 extols me to TRUST……COMMITT…..REST.  But often that first step would elude me.  Now-as i begin to grasp-to really grasp His love i can move on to committing, and arrive finally at the resting.  It always begins with a remembering of His love-and sometimes it’s other things He does that prove it to me-an answered prayer, a favorable circumstance (tho these can be deceiving), yet always when there is no other evidence that i can see-Amy is right-an hour spent at the foot of the cross  stills me.  That is the proof that can not be thwarted.  That is the anchor of my hope. 

and this is what delights my Father-what brings Him immense satisfaction!  That i anchor myself in His love! In real belief that it will not fail, that it has not failed!  It was the solution-that cleansing, soothing solution for Israel in Isaiah’s day-and it continues to be the solution for me.

 By this hope,  i delight the ONE who loves me.  i have power to afford Him pleasure by trusting in His love.  that floors me.  i know how far i fall daily, how disappointing a daughter i can be.  but it’s trusting in His love that delights Him. 

 amazing

 life changing

 soul stilling

TRUTH from His Word.

 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, 17 and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend (have power to grasp-niv) with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.   (Ephesians 3 HCSB)