the Lord's pleasure

I love when you are reading Scripture and a small phrase, perhaps one you have read over and over, just completely overwhelms your heart and mind. Last night as I read, that one such phrase was this:

FOR THE LORD TAKES PLEASURE IN HIS PEOPLE... (Ps. 149:4)

As I considered this wondrous reality and as I considered my heart and my life, so many questions entered my mind- why? how? really? Why and how could the Lord, my Maker, the King (as he is described earlier in the Psalm) delight, take pleasure in someone like me?

It was in the midst of those thoughts that another simple phrase saturated my heart and mind:

BECAUSE OF CHRIST...

Because of Christ. The Lord takes pleasure in me, in all of his people, not because of who we are or what we have done, but because of who Christ is and what he has done. My life is hidden in him, united with him, I belong to him and because of the cross the Father, wondrously, delights me as he does in his Son, as if I had done everything that he had!

It is my prayer that his glorious reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ might be what saturates and overwhelms my heart today, and that it might encourage any of you who read this as well.

The Lord takes pleasure in his people- always, in every circumstance- because of Christ!

May this reality cause us to do what the Psalmist exhorts in this very Psalm- "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new Song!"

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died he for me who caused his pain, for me who him to death pursued.
Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God should die for me!