When God Smiles Over You

Land o’ mercy, friend, come on around here by them purple lilac bushes and set yourself down on this ol’ front porch bench before the afternoon gets plum away from us. There’s a fat lil’ ol’ wren bouncin’ along the fence like it just sho’-nuff’ inherited forty acres, and somewhere in the timber an ol’ raccoon is probably inspectin’ somebody’s trash can with the seriousness of a bank examiner. But here’s somethin’ even harder to imagine.

God downright delights in you.

Now, if you’re anything like the rest of us, you may be thinkin’, “Has the Lord reviewed all the available information?”

We know our shortcomin’s. We remember the words we wish we could pull back into our mouths. We know where our faith has wobbled like a calf learning to stand.

Yet Jeremiah 32:41 says, God rejoices over His people “to do them good.”

That there doesn’t mean God ignores our sin. It plum means His love for those He has redeemed isn’t reluctant at all. He just ain’t standin’ around in heaven with folded arms wonderin’ how He got stuck with us.

Grace has sho’-nuff’ made us His.

And Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy... he will joy over thee with singing.”

Imagine that. The God that hung all of the stars over the darkness rejoices over His children with singin’.

We tend to measure ourselves by yesterday’s failures. God looks at His redeemed children through the finished work of Christ. Our confidence isn’t that we’ve become impressive. Our confidence is that His grace is astonishing.

That oughta put some real joy right on in your step.

Father, help me believe what You say about Your love. When shame reminds me of my failures, remind me that I belong to You through Christ. Teach me to rest in Your grace and respond to Your delight with grateful obedience and joyful praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, straighten your collar and head on out through that ol’ orchard gate over yonder, friend. Don’t you spend today droopin’ like a sunflower in a rain barrel when heaven has given you reason to rejoice. A lil’ ol’ beaver may spend all day fussin’ over one crooked stick, but you don’t have to spend yours rearrangin’ yesterday’s failures. Walk like somebody deeply loved by God. And if heaven is singin’ over you, sho’nuff, you can afford to hum a little happy tune on the way home.

With joy,

Gwen