“He delivered me because He delighted in me.” (Psalm 18:19b; 2 Samuel 22:20b)
When Arouna was a small boy, he was very, very sick. Some medical missionaries wanted to take him to a big-city hospital, but his parents did not have enough money and could not let him go there. So Arouna got sicker and weaker as time went by. He had to be put in a small hospital that was run by the Tanzanian government. There, he did not have very good medical care, but it was better than no medical care at all. Arouna kept getting sicker and weaker, and his suffering became more and more painful and dangerous.
One day, the doctor told Arouna’s parents that he would need a blood transfusion. Arouna’s father had the same type of blood as Arouna had. The doctor asked Arouna’s father if he would be willing to give some of his blood, and he explained that Arouna would probably die very soon if he did not have a transfusion for the blood he needed.
Arouna’s father was a little scared, because he had never given blood before, and he was afraid that losing his blood would make him weak for the rest of his life. But he loved Arouna very much, and he had been too poor to pay for Arouna to get better in a nicer hospital. So this was something Arouna’s father could do for him – he could give him some of his blood.
Because of his father’s willing sacrifice, Arouna was able to get better. His father was fine again after a few hours, and Arouna was almost completely healthy again after only a few more weeks in the hospital. The blood transfusion with his father’s blood was what saved little Arouna’s life. And why was his father able to follow through with the blood transfusion? Because his affection for his little boy was far greater than his fear and concern for himself.
After the LORD had given King David many victories and brought him through many hard trials, King David sang a song to the LORD (in 2 Samuel 22), and he sang about why God delivered him out of danger. He said, “He delivered me because He delighted in me.” The song is recorded again in Psalm 18, and all of it is a wonderful song. But those words are especially amazing, if you think about it. The God of the universe, Who is eternally perfect and has no limitations – that same God delights in His people. In spite of their sinfulness and their weaknesses, God sets His affection on human beings. He chooses to love them and delights in their safety and well-being – even when they do not delight in Him, and even though they never could delight in Him as much as He does in them. He delivers them because He delights in them.
God delivers His people out of bondage and slavery. He rescues them out of dangerous situations. Why? Well, according to this God-inspired song, at least one reason why is this: He delivers them because He delights in them. What a gracious and loving God!
In His graciousness and love, God chooses to delight in His people.
My Response:
» Do I live my life with the awareness that God is aware of me – my thoughts, my words, my actions?
» Do I remind myself of the Bible truth that God delights in those who trust in Him?
» How does it change my responses when I think of God delighting in me?