Molly is a cute little dog. She is no longer pretty, somewhat misshapen with back paws that point inward, front paws that point outward and hump of fat on her chest so low it drags on the ground. Her legs are super short, her body super long, but she has deep brown eyes, and her gaze at me soft and loving.

Her muzzle is turning white, and her dappled coat, always red-brown and shiny, is becoming more marked with white as she grows older. However, she is still exuberant (at times) and bouncy as she chases her ball or darts after “prey” which includes frogs and geckoes… and hadidahs!

Molly does crazy things like sleeping on my dirty laundry and entertain herself by rolling around on her back in her bed. She loves squeaky toys but ends up destroying the sqeak because she thinks it’s “prey”!

With all her crazy features and funny behaviour, I delight in her. As old as she is, she will always be my “baby girl”. She is always in my thoughts. When I go shopping, I look for ways to “spoil” her with little treats. She is a big part of my small world.

If I delight so much in a little animal, how much more does God delight in us, His crazy and funny children!

Zephaniah says that God sings a wild and exuberant song to express His delight in us.

‭Zephaniah 3:17 NLT‬
[17] For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. 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.”

The Hebrew word, Rinnah – meaning a ringing cry, can be translated as “Shouts of joy, singing in triumph”, a sort of victory cry.

Is it possible that God sings and dances over us because He is so happy? What could delight Him so much that He sings a crazy song?

Look at this verse…

‭Psalms 5:12 NIV‬
[12] “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

The Hebrew word “ratson”, meaning favour or goodwill, can also be translated “delight”. God surrounds and protects us with His delight.

One usually never stops thinking about the person in whom one delights. No matter what one is doing, one’s thoughts soon stray back to one’s beloved. David said that God’s thoughts about us are more than the grains of sand.

I walk past a pile of building sand on my daily excursion with Molly. I try to think what it would be like to sit down and count the grains! Impossible! That’s a silly idea because David was simply trying to tell us that God’s thoughts about every one of His children are too many to be counted.

Why is God so delighted with His children?

Firstly, I think, because His daring plan to rescue us has worked. Think of the millions, perhaps billions of lost sons and daughters through the centuries, who have come back home to God because they have believed in Jesus.

Secondly, I think, because God is delighted with the finished product. He has worked hard, through our lives on earth, to recreate us in the image of His Son. He wants us all to be exact replicas of Jesus. It will happen when we come face to face with our Saviour.

‭1 John 3:2 NLT‬
[2] “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”

The Father is crazy about Jesus. He wants us all to be like Him.

‭Matthew 3:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

He gave the Son His Spirit without measure.

‭John 3:34-35 NLT‬
[34] “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.”

Thirdly, if God surrounds us with His delightful thoughts about us in such volume that they can’t be counted, then He wants us to be completely secure and protected until He calls us home.

‭John 10:27-30 NLT‬
[27]” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.”

If that’s God’s view of us, then we should also be dancing and singing with delight because we should be as crazy about God as He is crazy about us.