A Surprising Insight for 2026
Did You Ever Stop to Think
Did you ever stop to think that God is going to be as pleased to have you with Him in Heaven as you are to be there? (A.W. Tozer)
The minute I read A.W. Tozer’s quote, I knew it was true.
But it doesn’t feel true.
Why? Because right now, this quote is head knowledge; it’s not yet a truth lodged deep in my heart. So I’ve selected a few Scriptures which speak about the Lord delighting in us.
A Few Delightful Verses
Scripture #1
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1 NIV)
While this quote is speaking of Christ, it also applies to every Christian believer.
- Chosen? Absolutely. We couldn’t become believers and enter Heaven unless the Holy Spirit first worked a miracle in each of our hearts.
- We are all called to be a servant of the Most High, even though we serve Him imperfectly.
- Upheld? Oh yes, and protected in ways we aren’t even aware of.
- Lastly, Jesus’ Holy Spirit dwells in each of us. We have been fundamentally changed on the inside.
By the way, Isaiah 42:1 is quoted in Matthew 12:18. Here’s the next quote.
Scripture #2
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
(Isaiah 61:10 NIV)
His robe of righteousness; His garments of salvation. God supplies them both to each believer.
His Children
Scripture #3
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
(Proverbs 3:12 NIV)
Discipline indicates the son misbehaved. Yet in the midst of disciplining His son, the Lord still delights in him.
Scripture #4
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory. (Psalm 149:4 NIV)
Think of a baby. Their diapers stink. They scream, spit up, cry when teething, make endless messes, and in the beginning cause their sleep-deprived parents to walk around like zombies.
Yet the parents delight in their child and slavishly upend their lives for this tiny, helpless baby.
God delights in each of His earthly children in the same way.
Our sin stinks. We create messes that our Lord has to clean up. We whine—at least, I do—and are frequently ungrateful. In fact, we’re often blind to all the blessings the Lord rains on us. Even divine parenting can be a thankless task.
My Spiritual Point
Our Heavenly Father not only loves His children, He delights in us. To me, this truth makes all the difference. His love isn’t tinged with frustration or disappointment. He’s never ashamed of me. I’m already a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17 RSV), and in Heaven I’ll be sin-free. I’ll be like Jesus.
The Almighty delights in us because we are His—saved, cleansed and redeemed. He’s looking forward to welcoming us home.
The manger cross image came from Adobe Stock. I downloaded the crying baby’s image from Pixabay.com.
Editor’s note: I created this meme years ago. But the post itself is fresh.
May your 2026 be blessed.
