"and His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord"

The title of this blog is from Isaiah 11:1-11 preferable noting to verse 3a ... and the words below are from a little Advent time Lectio Divina suggested by The Transforming Center.

Meditation on the word that stuck out: Delight

Delight. His delight. Whose delight. Jesus. and me.

Jesus delighted in the Father. His Father. A hard concept to understand or wrap your head around. Jesus and His Father (God) are one. But that is not where I'm going with my thoughts, so I ask you to accept this doctrine IN faith.

A child delights as her creative mind takes something she sees on a television ad or in a newspaper store ad and thinks this something will bring her happiness, or fun, or hours of pleasure, and is 'sure' to satisfy. She thinks, "It's the Oh-O-O-O-O-NLY thing I want for Christmas."

But, we all know one thing for sure, any 'thing' only fills or satisfies for a little while.

But, delighting in the fear of the Lord is a forever thing. Even on this side of heaven.

God delights in His children, He knows every last thing about us, after all, he made us! And he called that creation "good."

But we spoiled it. Because of sin, in us and from us, there is a distance we cannot span to fully delight in the fear of the Lord, because the law brings only death. A gap we cannot attempt to fill with good things we do, the forever gap.

But Christ fills that distance perfectly. In fact, he full-filled (hope my scholarly friends do not cringe at that!) Christ the Lord, the babe we see in the straw. Born to live, to die, to rise. The manger and the empty tomb go hand in hand. It's the two places we peer in, to find Jesus. The baby, Emmanuel: God with Us, in our world, for us. Thirty years later, the man, and the message of the angel He is NOT HERE! HE IS RISEN! Our complete delight.

Prayer: Oh Lord, because of your great love and delight for me through the gift of your Son Jesus Christ I respond in thanksgiving and thanksliving. And that by Christ's redemptive blood, I can fully "delight" in your ways, here on earth and forever with You in eternity. In your precious name, Jesus. Amen.

LW hymn 392 with everyday 'ala Deb' language inserted ...

Oh that the Lord would guide my ways
To keep his statues still!
Oh that my God would grant me grace
To know and do His will.

I need you to guide me because I do not always
do the right thing, I need your love to show me
what you would have me do in all situations that
tempt me or when my mind is unclear and confused.

Order my footsteps by Your Word
and make my heart sincere;
Let sin have no dominion Lord,
But keep my conscience clear.

Help me to follow you with only Your Word as
my guide. Nothing from the world can take your place.
Keep my motivations pure. Do not let my flesh, this world,
or the devil have deceptive power over me.

Assist my soul, too apt to stray;
a stricter watch to keep;
If ever I forget your way,
Restore Your wandering sheep.

I wander so often, I look to things to fill me
to show me the right way. Keep my eyes focused in
your directions, and when I get off the path
find me and bring me back to you.

Make me to walk in your commands
a most delightful road;
Nor let my head or heart or hands
offend against my God.

See that my foot doesn't slip from your ways
on your solid ground I will find true freedom and joy.
See that any other part of my body, mind, and soul
does not bring offense to you, my Lord and my King.