“But I’m working from home now, lecturing my university students, from our spare room. I like being able to see their faces on Zoom, but it’s still hard, and not the same. I normally really enjoy the interaction with the students. I’m really missing that. And I’m not getting much time on the bike – It’s only two steps from my bedroom to the spare bedroom. That’s hard, on top of the extra stress of getting all the content online.

“This week, though, I’ve been reading the last five Psalms. I’ve been reading the Psalms for ten years, now. Every time I get to the end, I start again. I keep going over them. They’re so diverse – there’s joy and wonder and honesty. They cover so many emotions and aspects of life, including pain and brokenness… but they always focus on God and praising him. They always end up in praise and that’s the main point of the last five. It’s such a fitting end. Psalm 147 says, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit… His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”(4-5, 10-11).

“It’s amazing that our huge, sovereign God, who holds everything in his hands, just delights in us, even now. His pleasure is in us, as we trust him and put our hope in him. And sometimes I feel weary. I worry about all the things I have to do this week. We’re running an online practical exam on Tuesday. My internet is slow and I’m not sure it’s going to work. I’m not confident. But the truth is that God delights in me, and in us.

“Don’t you find that incredible?”

Darren’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed. Click here for more Faith Stories.