GOD REJOICES OVER YOU

Isaiah 62: 1-5

Most of the time we are reminded of God’s displeasure with us, or that’s what the stereotypes about religion tell us. The sermons are about sin, the commandments are about sin, and revivals are held to move people from sin to repentance. But there is another pulpit that also needs to be heard: it is the pulpit of God’s pleasure in us, and God’s pleasure that comes from us. In Revelation 4:11 the New Living Translation puts John’s quote this way: You created everything, O Lord, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” It is the Psalmist in Psalm 149:4 who declares that “The Lord takes pleasure in his people.” It was the Apostle Paul who said: “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!” [Phil. 4] And Jesus himself said “There is joy in Heaven over even one sinner who repents.” [Lk.15:7] God needs very little occasion to call a party of the angels to celebrate something we have done! It’s enough to make some think that we sin so often and so royally that any sign of right attitude or direction is enough for God to summon the herald trumpets!

In my lifetime there have been a number of preachers who’ve reminded listeners of how much they are loved and how much God delights in them! Isaiah 62 is a wonderful source for that news! God rejoiced over his people Israel having endured the consequences of their sin. God also rejoices when our sins and consequences are over and God can simply be pleased to be in our presence. Isn’t it odd to talk about God being in our presence, but God is so glad to be invited into our lives, to be in relationship! Like a mother who never gets asked her opinion on style by her daughter, or a father who never gets asked about a sports or repair question by his son, God is thrilled to be invited into the often private lives that we call ours. God never barges in, but comes at our invitation. If the door to the room where our heart lives says “Keep out, and this means you,” relationships get crushed. But it delights God when you or I open the door of our heart and say, “O God come in and share my joy,” or “O Jesus, come in and rule my unruly life.”

There is a great cloud of witnesses who have written about God’s pleasure and delight. For years from the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, Norman Vincent Peale made people not only delight in their God, but also be aware that God delighted in them, a far cry from some of the fire and brimstone preachers of his day. Some said he was soft on his theology; some said he was more about positive thinking than about God. But others knew that no matter what his weaknesses, he reminded them that God loved them and delighted in them. A woman who invited and welcomed more people into or congregation than in any other period of time was the late Evelyn Grout. “How do you do that Evelyn?” I asked her one day. “Sugar,” (which she called me and plenty of others) I can do more good with honey than with harshness.” It was Robert Schuller from his Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California who, from the television airwaves and in his writings, let people know of his own love for them and of God’s love for them. He had also listened to a practical theology professor in seminary who said, “Students, when you get in front of an audience, give them a lift, don’t give them a load! Help them with their problems, don’t dump yours on them!” [TOUGH MINDED FAITH FOR TENDER MINDED PEOPLE, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983, p. 203.] In spreading his joy, the joy of God got shared with many. From the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, from his radio show called “Let God Love You,” and from his books, Lloyd John Ogilvie let his listeners know about God’s love and God’s desire to be included in our lives. As he recalled the Reader’s Digest column “My Most Unforgettable Character”, he described his: “He’s a laughing, loving, gloom-dispelling, life-affirming person. He loves profoundly, expresses non-stop joy, and always seems at peace in the most troublesome situations. Not only that, the person has amazing patience, both with his friends and his self-appointed enemies. I’m always astounded by his kindness to people who mess up their lives, and I’m constantly surprised by his generosity….The most unforgettable character I’ve ever met is Jesus Christ.” [THE MAGNIFICENT VISION, Vine Books, 1991, p 9-10.] If the Son and the Father are one, as John proclaims in his gospel, then Jesus is showing forth the attitude of the Father! It is gladness and joy and even dancing. If we are to be the image of Christ in the world, than we are called to be like that. I have to admit that I don’t always feel like that, do you? Sometimes I am tired, sometimes frustrated, and sometimes worn down. In spite of Ogilvie’s and John’s description, there are times when I think Jesus felt that way too. It was not a sin for him and it is not so for us. But God’s goal for us is gladness! Rick Warren has become a major religious figure in America since writing THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE. On day eight of his forty days of purpose, he points to two of the passages I quoted earlier and wrote: “You were planned for God’s pleasure. The moment you were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave him great pleasure. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create for his own enjoyment.” [Zondervan, 2002, p. 63]. As preacher Max Lucado loves to say, “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it!”

It is that theme that is developed in Isaiah 62: frequently Jerusalem is referred to as Zion, or sometimes as “daughter of Zion.” It is a hopeful and loving address. Listen to this as if Isaiah were speaking directly to you: “You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall not be called ‘the forsaken one;’ instead you will be called ‘my delight.’ For the Lord rejoices over you!” [Vs. 3-4] Let that sink in. To people who felt forsaken in a foreign land, they now knew that God remembered them. God said “My delight is in you,” and “I will always love you, and to you, dear Zion, I will be faithful.” God does not forget; Zion did. Just as the comparison is made that the Church is the bride of Christ, and that Christ loves the Church, so the church is called to be faithful to her bride, Jesus Christ. When that happens, when you and I are faithful to the Son, the father dances, as if at the wedding of his Son to a beloved Bride.

I have built something of a reputation for dancing almost non-stop at my two sons’ wedding receptions. I will plan to do that at my daughter’s as well! At other wedding receptions, I am happy for the couple, but at my children’s weddings, I dance! Fathers often do that, and mothers often do as well. I am so happy that my children found great mates. That is my joy. What do you think the Heavenly Father does when our relationship with his Son goes well? He dances! He dances for joy! It is a wonderful picture of the Father dancing over Zion’s return; a wonderful picture of Jesus’ participating in a wedding reception; and a wonderful picture of their joy over our faithfulness, our innocence, and the love we give to God and others because God first loved us. Certainly there are times that I am moody; are you? There are times when I’m distracted; do you get that way? And there are times when I’m not good company. None of those are like God. God is intensely clear about what brings holy joy (our love and adoration). God cannot get distracted for God keeps track of all of creation according to the Bible. And there is never a time when God is not good company because God created us after longing for relationships! God loves a relationship with you! God does relationship perfectly; you and I do it mostly imperfectly. Still, I can draw strength from thinking of those who have told me they love me. Can you imagine never hearing someone say that they love you? Perhaps you can’t remember hearing it. In counseling I’ve heard some who never heard someone say they loved them. How tragic. Please know that the bedrock of all claims that Bible makes is that God loves the world, and that God loves all the created ones: even if you have not heard it from human lips, God does love you, and is thrilled about you! What can you do to show God your love in return?

Jeffrey A. Sumner January 17, 2010