A Child’s Delight

Our two year old great-granddaughter is visiting us for the week (along with her family). I wish you could see her as she takes delight in the smallest things. It’s so cute to watch her pop a fresh blueberry in her mouth and enjoy the yum. Or she will sit beside me and stack up my collection of small flat rocks. She looks at my shell collection in wonder. And she runs across the room saying, “I’m running!” That’s a fairly new skill she has acquired, and she’s happy about it! Her father is looking on and smiling as he enjoys her simple response to the good things in life.

I can picture God smiling over us when we delight in the small and the great things He provides for our enjoyment. It’s not only a matter of what He gives, but who He is. He is wonderful! He is great! He is amazing! And I don’t use those exclamation points lightly. He is the Creator and Protector of the universe (including all the planets and stars that we can see and those we can’t). Yet He cares about us. He sees each molecule of our body and knows every heartache and pain. He loved us enough to provide eternal life at great, great cost!

No wonder the Psalmist encouraged us to “delight in the Lord.” In Psalm 37:3-5 there are three things he tells us to do. “Trust in the Lord … Delight yourself in the Lord … Commit your way to the Lord.” And he promises that good things will result. But I don’t want to do those things because of what I will get in return. I just want to delight in God because of who He is. And the fact that, in spite of that, He cares for me … well, that’s the icing on the cake! And with the hymn writer I say: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful!” (Lyrics by Charles Gabriel).

Today I will delight in a child’s voice saying, “blueberry” or “spaghetti” or “seashell” in her sweet, lilting tones. And I will be reminded of the admonition to “delight in the Lord.” I will lift my voice to Him in praise and wonder. Will you join me?