Pleasing God
Have you ever thought about whether or not God is pleased with your ways?
Verse of the Day
“When a person’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Today’s Devotional
I don’t have many enemies that I’m aware of. But if I did, I would love the thought of God making peace within those conflicted relationships.
If there is one thing that I long for, it’s that my ways would please the Lord. But if I’m honest, I may only long to please the Lord when I stop long enough to think about it. When I’m busy with my day, I don’t know that I ever really think about whether or not what I’m doing, saying, or thinking might be pleasing to God. I do know that God’s love for me never diminishes by what I do or don’t do, but my actions can bring God pleasure…or not.
I read something yesterday by Brennan Manning, author of The Ragamuffin Gospel, that challenged my thinking. “Worry is an insult to your Father.” Charles de Foucauld, founder of the Little Brothers of Jesus, says, “The only thing we owe absolutely to God is never to be afraid of anything.”
Have you ever thought or realized that worrying might be offensive to God? If I allow myself to process that, I realize that worrying assumes that I have some kind of control over a given situation. Or that my fretting might somehow change the outcome. But then I remember that MANY times in the Bible we are told not to worry or be anxious. We are told not to fear and not to let our hearts be troubled. Here are just a few of those verses:
Deuteronomy 31:6 “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Joshua 1:9 “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalms 23:4 “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”
Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”
Psalms 34:4 “I prayed to the Lord , and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.”
Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
Psalms 55:22 “Give your burdens to the Lord , and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”
Psalms 56:3 “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”
Psalms 94:19 “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”
Psalms 121:1-2 “I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord , who made heaven and earth!”
Proverbs 12:25 “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.”
Proverbs 29:25 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.”
Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.””
Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Matthew 6:25-34 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 10:29-31 “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin ? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
Matthew 11:28-30 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Luke 12:22-26 “Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?”
John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”
Romans 8:31 “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
Philippians 4:6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
Hebrews 13:6 “So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
1 Peter 5:7 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
That is a large body of evidence in what God has to say about our propensity for fear and worry, from both the Old and New Testament. And that was from a quick search on openbible.info about worry and anxiety. So maybe, we can become more pleasing to God if we make a conscious effort to stop worrying and start praying every time our brains (or bodies) go into worry. The beautiful part of looking at those verses as a whole is that God knows that we will worry and have fear. He is giving us His tools for what to do with our worries and fears. Trust Him. Remember that He is God and that He is good. Be thankful. Redirect our minds back to Him and His Sovereignty. Actively choose to believe that He is God and He is in control.
If I break it down even further, I know that the greatest command is that I love God and love others. I cannot do either of those things well if I am fearful, or worrying, or anxious. I cannot praise God with my life’s actions if I am consumed with worry. So today, I am going to attempt to please God by not worrying. When something feels scary or uncertain, I will try to remember to pray in that moment for God to remind me of his Sovereignty. I will turn over my worry and fear to God, so that I can more fully love him and love those He puts in my path. But doing those things, hopefully my ways will be pleasing to God and the result will be peace. We cannot do anything to earn His love, He gives it freely. But we can choose to practice things that bring Him pleasure, and refusing to worry and be fearful seem like a wonderful place to start.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
If you have any enemies, do you pray for God’s peace in those relationships?
Do you feel like your ways are pleasing to God? If yes, then do you see and feel the evidence of God’s peace pouring over your life? If no, then how can you behave in a way that is more pleasing to God today?
How does worry or fear affect your relationship with God?
How might your trust in God be pleasing to God?