God Delights in His Servant

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; . . . . (Isaiah 42:1)

The persons whom God calls to Himself often are worried about pleasing God. In some instances they are zealous people who become unduly concerned if they are not making sufficient spiritual progress according to their own standard.

It may come as a blessing and relief to such believers to begin to understand some small measure of the love and pleasure of God that always is directed toward them.

God delights in His Servant.

We do not always comprehend the full extent of God's pleasure in us. It helps us to understand God's delight in us when we learn that we were called to be God's Servant before the creation of the world. He knew us and called us by name before He created the heavens and the earth.

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

Known unto God are all his works from the creation of the world. (Acts 15:18)

In the beginning God created each of His elect in the image of His Son, Christ. God observed that all He had created was very good. Then God rested. Our task is to enter that rest through the means God has provided for us.

In the mind of God the saints already are perfect and complete in Christ. God sees not only us but also people yet unborn as being in the image of His Son.

When God commanded, "Behold my servant" there was no servant for us to behold. But now we see Jesus who Himself fulfills all that was spoken concerning the Servant of the Lord.

In addition, God is bringing many sons to glory, many heirs of salvation to full age. God already beholds them in the image of His Son. Moreover, God is greatly delighted with the brothers of Christ.

One of Satan's devices in the day in which we live is to persuade Christians they are worthless, that God does not love them, that they are failures, that they cannot succeed as a Christian and so forth. This attitude of defeat and unbelief is destructive of our laying hold on our inheritance in Christ.

Depression is a serious malady. We must pray that the Lord Jesus will heal our moodiness. We must gain His help so we do not take refuge in our inadequacies. The Scripture commands us: "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed" (Hebrews 12:12,13).

Clinical depression does not always respond readily to the prayers of the saint. He or she must be patient, just as in any other malady, until the Lord grants the victory. Sometimes medical assistance is needed and the Lord will direct in this. While we are doing our best with the help that is at hand we always are to remain in hopeful expectation that God will intervene and grant the miracle of healing we desire. He often does this!

God delights in His saints. He is not scolding us all the time because of our weaknesses and mistakes. God always is inviting, leading, encouraging us, offering to provide every resource to help us on our way with rejoicing.

God is good. There is no one good other than God. God delights in us.

We can press on to the fullness of Christ because God's holy, unchanging, unfailing Word directs us to do so. God Himself has promised to meet every need of the obedient saint.

The Lord delights in each of His elect.