PODCAST
God Delights In You
December 4th, 2019
Zephaniah 3:14-20
Our granddaughter’s soccer game had ended. We all collected our belongings and prepared to leave. A young girl walked up to her father nearby. He put his arm around her shoulders and said simply, “I enjoyed watching you play today,” and they walked away. No after game coaching and correction. No praise or high fives. Just a father expressing his delight in his daughter’s activity and their shared experience.
I have watched parents at sporting events yelling at their children from the sidelines. I also see the children’s shoulders slump under their parents’ critiques after a game.
Many people think of God as a distant, harsh judge whose favor must be earned. They strive ceaselessly to please God, never believing they are good enough to be loved.
God’s pleasure in us doesn’t come because of anything we have won or accomplished. God doesn’t wait until we reach perfection; the prophet says that God will rescue the lame and the exile. Our value comes because we have been created in the image of God and God rejoices over us with singing.
Author: Judith A. Schwanz
December 4th, 2019 at 10:35 am
Thank you. I just watched my granddaughter play in a vb game last night and enjoy seeing her at this age (10). The girls are not out to beat the other team real bad. I am glad our God loves us like that dad who said he enjoyed watching her play.