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b'My twelfth-grade English teacher taught me to love Haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan. These short, three-line poems are traditionally drawn from nature, and they\\u2019re only seventeen syllables long. He described Haiku as transforming a visual image into a \\u201cword snapshot.\\u201d For example, after reading Psalm 42, I wrote this Haiku poem:\\n\\n\\n\\nBeneath the fearsome\\n\\n\\n\\nwaves I wait, breathless and still\\u2026\\n\\n\\n\\nthen, Your light breaks through.\\n\\n\\n\\nIn Scripture, I think there are snapshot glimpses into God\\u2019s nature. For example, the writers of Psalm 42 feel forgotten and earnestly voice their complaint to God, yet they console themselves with images of God\\u2019s faithful love: \\u201cI hear the tumult of the raging seas as your\\u2026surging tides sweep over me. But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs\\u2026\\u201d (verse 7-8).\\n\\n\\n\\nOther passages show us vibrant images of God\\u2019s love, like Zephaniah 3:17, where God declares He will \\u201ctake delight in you with gladness\\u2026[and] rejoice over you with joyful songs.\\u201d And Isaiah describes God delighting in His people \\u201cas a bridegroom rejoices over his bride\\u201d (Isaiah 62:5)\\u2014anticipating the heavenly celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb, when all God\\u2019s people will rejoice with Him at Jesus\\u2019s return (Revelation 19:6-9).\\n\\n\\n\\nNow those are images to treasure! God rejoicing\\u2014and all heaven celebrating\\u2014 with such joy that Revelation says the sound will be like \\u201cthe shout of a vast crowd\\u2026 or the crash of loud thunder\\u201d (19:6) all because of our wonderful Lord Jesus, who cherishes us\\u2014His bride. Just as Haiku captures the sensation of a moment, these Scriptures capture the beauty of God delighting in those He loves! Are we worth all that? Jesus says \\u201cYes!\\u201d He gave His life because of such delight, such love for us. As Hebrews 12:2 puts it, \\u201cBecause of the joy awaiting him\\u2026[Jesus] endured the cross.\\u201d How amazing to know we are part of the joy Jesus anticipated, even as He gave His life, longing to greet us at the great wedding feast to come. \\u2022 G. Kam Congleton\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Which of today\\u2019s Scripture passages is your favorite? Consider taking a moment to read this passage again and ponder the fact that God is passionate about us\\u2014He truly delights in us!\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Once we\\u2019ve put our trust in Jesus, we can look forward with joy to the day we will be raised from the dead, as Jesus was, and see Him face to face! If you want to know more, see see our "Know Jesus" page.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u201cHe will take delight in you with gladness.\\u201d Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)\\n\\n\\n\\nREAD: PSALM 42; ZEPHANIAH 3:17; HEBREWS 12:2; REVELATION 19:6-9'