Meditation

Read 1 John 3:1-3

The Lord your God … will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.—Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

When my daughter was turning 5, she wanted a rainbow-themed party. A few weeks before the celebration, during bedtime prayers, she asked God to show her a real rainbow. On the day of her party, the weather was sunny and beautiful. My daughter and her friends enjoyed running through the sprinklers, playing games, and eating ice-cream cake. Then, just as our last guest was leaving, dark clouds blew across the sky. A torrential downpour began. It lasted only 10 minutes, and then we looked up to see a double rainbow spanning the sky. I had goosebumps as my daughter looked up at me and said, “God gave me the best birthday present ever: two rainbows for my rainbow party!”

I like to imagine the way God was delighting in us with this event. We serve a God who cares about the details of our lives and listens to the desires of our hearts. God has already given us the perfect gift: Jesus Christ, who died on a cross for our sins. Yet, God continues to enjoy lavishing great love on us and rejoicing over us with singing—and sometimes with rainbows too.

Prayer—Dear Lord, thank you for your extravagant love for us. Amen.

Thought for the Day—My heavenly Father takes delight in me.

—Erin Tubo, Massachusetts