Our God delights in us

Psalm 18: 16-19
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Wow! Our God delights in us.

No matter how difficult the situation, Our Lord is here, ready to reach down and pull us out of the overwhelming pits of life. He takes hold of our hands and carries us to safety. He cares for us in love and kindness, because he delights in who we are.
We find shame in this world in so many places. Messages that we are not okay, not worthy, don’t belong… These negative messages are often instilled in our minds from an early age. This is especially true in homes where abuse and addictions work to destroy the family.
Our view of others, ourselves and the world, changes when we are hurt by others. We may view the world as a dangerous place, or we may see ourselves as incapable of handling difficult situations. Often times we begin thinking that God is angry and displeased with us; that he thinks of us as unworthy of his love. We may believe that God will be disappointed and turn his back on us for feeling low, depressed or anxious.
Yet in those moments of great need, when we’re hurting and feeling desperate, our powerful, loving God gently holds and supports us. Even when others confront us with harsh words, telling us that we are wrong, or mistaken, or unworthy, our Lord adores us and is ready to rescue and protect us. He smiles on us with delight.
During times of depression in my own life, I felt that God must be ashamed of me for feeling down, anxious and afraid. I saw depression and anxiety as terrible sins, and thought the Lord would punish me in hurtful ways. Learning that God feels my pain, loves and delights in me even when I am hurting, was a big part of my own healing. I wanted to draw close to the God who looks at me, feeling my pain, with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

A Prayer
Lord, thank you for delighting in who I am. Thank you for being a kind, loving, heavenly father, who forgives me and rescues me when I call out to you. Lord, I call out to you now with my need, knowing that you hear my cry and take joy in helping me.