Last night, I had a time of Immanuel Prayer with some friends. Immanuel Prayer is when we ask the God-who-is-with-us to communicate with us, and tell us what he wants us to know.
He took me back to a recent Immanuel experience I had where I had a picture of me in a meadow, hanging out with Jesus and the Father. They both were praying for me, blessing me and delighting in me. So we explored this further, asking why they would delight in me.
First of all, asking God why he delights in me is a bit awkward; it seems quite pompous; perhaps self-important or even insecure. But I get the idea that he is quite pleased that I asked the question and is happy to answer it. The first reason is that he made me. He made me to possess my unique characteristics, gifts, talents and personality. He likes what he made. In thinking about that, if I criticize what he has made, I am criticizing him.
Secondly, I am his son. He has chosen to adopt me. He didn’t have to do this; he wanted to do this, because he likes me and loves me and delights in me. This has nothing to do with me and my performance and what I can do for him; it is his choice.
(I recently had the pleasure of having my oldest two grandkids stay with us for five days. I delighted to be with them; I love to snuggle with them, play with them, read them stories. This is not a “have to” experience, it is a “get to/want to” experience. It is a great picture of God’s relationship with me.)
I would have to conclude that there is no greater honor than to be bestowed honor by the most important and honorable One of all: the Lord of lords and King of kings. How can it be any better than that?
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