The One Who Delights in Us Holds Us fast
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Psalm 73:23–24 (NLT)
We will continue to look at the beautifully rich words from the hymn, “He will hold me fast.” These are the words to the first three lines of the second stanza:
Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast
He'll not let my soul be lost. His promises shall last.
When we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ, we enter into fellowship with Him. This fellowship with our mighty Saviour gives us the assurance that He is always with us, taking delight in us and rejoicing over us. In this fellowship, He calms all our fears and doubts so that we have the confidence that He holds us in the palm of His hands and will not let us go. Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) says,
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty saviour. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
He Rejoices Over Us
I love the imagery that this evokes – Jesus rejoicing over us. Delighting in us. I can imagine Him beaming with love for us simply because we are precious in His sight. Simply because of His unshakable love. His unshakeable love for us is what will keep us from stumbling, but also keep us when we stumble so that He can present us before our glorious Father with great joy (Jude 1:24-25). Because of His eternal love for us, we can have a confident hope in His promises. Every promise He has given us in His Word or personally will come to pass. He watches over every word that he has given us. This is what He said to the prophet Jeremiah when He drew His attention to the almond branch, the first tree to blossom in the spring. Jeremiah 1:12 says,
“The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’”
While His promises to us are indeed “yes and amen,” the ultimate and unwavering assurance that we hold on to is that He will not let our souls be lost. This is His promise to us. The guarantee of eternal life now and with Him in eternity. This is His joy and delight.
You know, eternal life does not start when we go to heaven. It starts the moment you reach out to Jesus. He never turns His back on anyone. And He is waiting for you. Corrie ten Boom
Reflection
Have there been times in your life when you’ve doubted that you are His delight? When you’ve doubted that He will fulfil His promises to you? I would like to challenge you to have a confident hope in His faithfulness and eternal love for you.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You delight in me. That You rejoice over me with singing. Forgive me, Lord, for all my doubts and fears concerning Your promises for my life. Help me to have that confident hope in Your unshakeable love for me. The confident hope that You will not let my soul be lost. Thank you, Lord, for the eternal life I have with You now and for all eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen.
