{{item.title | uppercase}}

Stopping in my tracks, I reread the simple statement. And it whacked me in between the eyes like a two-by-four.

The infinitely self-sufficient God has come not to be assisted, but to be enjoyed. – John Piper.

Enjoyed.

God doesn’t need my help. Jesus came to be enjoyed.

Questions formed. Do I enjoy God? Or do I merely enjoy His things?

How easy it is to love the marvelous gifts I receive from God—life, provision, protection, salvation, comfort, adoption, reconciliation, and on and on. It is good to enjoy God’s gifts. He is a Father who delights to give good things to His children.

But do I enjoy Him more than His gifts?

Had I merely enjoyed the things I received from my husband, I’d rightly be labeled a horrible wife.

But my relationship with Jon was much more than things. I enjoyed his goofy child-like enthusiasm and passionate pursuit of anything he set out to do. I cherished his quirks and all the things that made him distinctly Jon. I even came to love his “no writing in books” ban.

I adored evenings curled up on the couch together and the warmth of his hand folded around mine. He chose me and loved me despite my flaws. I appreciated his wisdom and discernment. And I savored how his smile could light up a room.

Oh how greatly I enjoyed him! Moreover, how great was our mutual enjoyment!

What about God? How quickly I forget. Often I relish His things more than I relish the Giver. I could rightly be called a horrible daughter.

Ever the writer, I set out to make a list.

“Lord remind me how I enjoy You.”

I enjoy Your masterful artistry. The sky is a multifaceted painting, each day ushering a new design. You expertly blend varieties of blues, grays, pinks, and oranges. It’s stunning because You are stunning.

If I enjoy anything beautiful and good, it is because You enjoy it first. Gorgeous sunsets. Music. Laughter and singing. Love. Affection. Deep conversations.

All of these reflect Your character.

I enjoy You in the quietness of a rainy day. For You are rest and peace.

I cherish our constant conversation, the ebbs and flows, the picking up right where we left off. Your words flood my heart in seasons of fear and doubt. You are trustworthy. You are comfort; Scripture tells me the truth when I cannot tell myself.

I love to tell You Who You are. Sovereign protector. Redeemer. Provider. God, You are holy, merciful, and just.—At the cross, they collided harmoniously!

Sustainer. Satisfier. Exalted above all. Refuge. The list is exhaustive!

Furthermore, who I am flows directly from Who You are. I know myself accurately only when I first know You. My identity is thoroughly wrapped up in Your identity.

• You adopt.
• You guide.
• You lead.
• You cherish.
• You secure.
• You shelter.

Therefore, I am adopted, guided, led, cherished, secured, and sheltered.

I enjoy being thoroughly known and thoroughly loved.

You know every single ugliness, even the ones I dare not let others see. Yet You stay. More than that, You enjoy me too! What an unfathomable thing, Lord!

You are the subject of every sentence, the main character of every story.

“He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
Acts 17:25 ESV

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Isaiah 57:15 ESV

With vibrant clarity rings the truth about God.

O Lord I do enjoy you! You are utterly enjoyable.

Father, oh that everything I love about human relationships, I would love more supremely about You. You are worthy of all my affection. Amen.