Pleasing The Lord

As a child I wanted to please my mum and dad, and sometimes even went to great efforts to do so. Mostly I did it out of a right heart, because I loved them, but sometimes it was simply to keep the peace, or to stay out of trouble. Nevertheless it was a strong desire and something I aimed for. I wanted to know what pleased my parents, and also to be a pleasing daughter. When I met Jesus as a teenager, I wanted to please Him too. This began a journey in discovery for me on what does and does not please Almighty God. I hasten to add that this is still a journey I am on!

In the book of Micah, the prophet proclaims to the Israelites that they already knew what was good and what the Lord required of them (Micah 6:8). As I pondered these words, I wondered what did I need to do and what sort of heart would I need to have to accomplish these things. The first lesson I had to be reminded about was that without God’s help, I couldn’t please Him! I needed to allow Him access to my heart so He could mould it into a heart after His.

What sort of heart pleases the Lord? Firstly, God wants a transparent and real heart. A deceitful or unreal heart will not please the Lord. A humble and obedient heart is precious in His sight, whereas He detests a prideful and rebellious one. Thirdly, when we have a forgiving, merciful and loving heart, we mirror the heart of our Heavenly Father to others and that pleases Him. A thankful heart also pleases God because it shows Him that we’re mindful of all His benefits and are grateful for them (Psalm 103). No parent is pleased by an ungrateful child who takes their kindness for granted.

Prayer: Father God I want to live in such a way that pleases You. May my actions, the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight O God’ ( Psalm 19:14, and Colossians 3:17). Amen.