I read this verse and I am in awe that the Creator of the Universe would desire to spend time with me, much less that He "exults over me with joy." How can such a holy God look at me, a fine mess, and still exult over me with joy; not just joy but shouts of joy.
My testimony (posted earlier in the week) could be somewhat depressing, but I really am, MOST of the time a pretty happy and joyful person. I guess you could say I have just had a down week...month. And it appears that it's not over yet. Having a rough weekend with my teenager, who is precious and lovely most of the time. However, this weekend she was like a venomous spider. Ouch! She hurt me. I didn't know this, but evidently I don't like her and I'm mean. Wow! I just got a little meaner too. ...sorry, that's how it works. Guess that means I'm doing something right, right? When I see the mistakes that my children make, I do not exult over them with joy. I love them, but it's just so hard to look at disobedience and exult with shouts of joy. They may get the shouts, just without the joy.
This verse says two things to me. The first is that for a Holy, Loving, Perfect God to feel that way about me, my view of myself must be pretty distorted. How is our view of ourselves different from God's view of us? We, especially me, see all our flaws rather than radiant beauty that shines from a face that is so full of God that it's oozing out of our pores. A woman after God is a beautiful woman! And I have to say that when I am where I am supposed be spiritually, I feel just as radiant to.
I won't spend too much time looking at the "counterfeit thoughts" that go on in my mind; thoughts that tell me who I am. I've heard before that that money specialists don't study counterfeit money, they study real money. They test the way it feels washed, worn, torn, new, folded, front/back, etc. for hours in a day. By the time they are through looking at real money, they can spot a counterfeit pretty easily. My hope is that in studying only the truth of God's Word and learning and memorizing what His thoughts are, I will be able to recognize and cast aside the distorted thoughts that the enemy feeds on to make me insecure.
"but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:16-18
"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 (NASB)
I am memorizing these verses this week to replace words and actions from my past - either positive or negative - that sometimes swirl around me. The enemy wants to hit us where we are vulnerable, so we have to be able to argue with him. The word of God is the Sword of the Spirit, the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. So when the enemy says that our faults and failures are our true identity, God tells us that we are being transformed. (Look back 2 Corinthians 3:16-18.)
The second thing that verse (way up at the top of the page) said to me was that not only does God think I am beautiful, but He is in my midst. He is pursuing me, still. I am already His, but He wants more of me. He likes me. He actually loves me enough to be in my midst. There is no better feeling than feeling right with God and walking with Him everyday. There is no greater joy than to bask in the presence of the Almighty. And there is no better feeling to replace insecurity than to realize that God wants to spend time with me.
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28
And the icing on the cake is:
"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." 1 John 3:19-20
What is your view of yourself? Do you see insecurities or do you see what God sees? If He is filled with joy because of us, then I can defineately be filled with joy because of Him!
A "Well-spring of Joy",
