This summer during my renewal leave, I spent a good amount of time reading the Psalms.  I have always loved them, but they especially spoke to me in this time.  There are so many things that I love about them – their focus on God, their call to worship, their reflection of humanity.  They are powerful, they are convicting, they are comforting.

I would encourage you to spend some time with them if you have not recently.  And by time, I don’t just mean reading them through once, but keep going back to them, over and over again. The more you read them, the more they will speak to you.  I know this is true for all of scripture, but I think especially true for the Psalms.

In our reading today, Psalm 17 was one of the selections.  Listen to what we are told in 7-10:

7Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *
O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand
from those who rise up against them.
8Keep me as the apple of your eye; *
hide me under the shadow of your wings,
9From the wicked who assault me, *
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10They have closed their heart to pity, *
and their mouth speaks proud things.

I love this protective image of God found here.  We are the apple of His eye.  That’s a term of great affection.  That’s what we say about someone we love, our spouse, our children.  This isn’t just a term of affection, though, it’s a term of pride, of deep care.

God likes you.  It isn’t just that He loves you.  He likes you.  He is proud of you. He delights in you.  You make Him happy.

Have you ever thought about that?  You make God happy.

Because He loves and delights in us, He will protect us.  He will guard us.  He will keep us.  He will surround us.  The LORD delights in you today.

Live in that reality today.  Live in that joy today.

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