The Apple of His Eye

He found him in a desert land
And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
He encircled him,
He instructed him,
He kept him as the apple of His eye.” (Deuteronomy 32:10)

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)

...Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame... (Hebrews 12:2)

I am the joy that was set before Him. I am His prize. With all my flaws and my stumblings and my unloveliness, He loves me and wants my love in return. When I feel like I'm running in place and my life is a big empty hole and I am nothing but a collection of failures and dashed hopes, He is pleased by me.

He knows my deep heart, with all its desires and disappointments, and he understands my hurts and my hardness. He waits for me to learn, and he takes pleasure in my victories. He will make me into more than just a child to be cared for; He will build me into someone He can trust. How I long for the day when he sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied!

Jesus, You deserve better than I have given. Since You have so loved this heart and this life, let me give it all to You. Make me the kind of prize that You deserve.

And He is jealous for me: Loves like a hurricane; I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy:
When all of a sudden I am aware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize how beautiful You are, and how great Your affections are for me.
Oh, how He loves us, Oh how He loves us so.
He is our portion and we are His prize;
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes... (from How He Loves, by John Mark McMillan)