God’s Pleasure

 September 21, 2023  

“The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.”

—Psalm 149:4 

Here is an amazing statement: “The Lord takes pleasure in his people.” Too many Christians labor under the mistaken idea that God is mad at them. I know; I lived with that cloud over my head for years. It was always easier for me to see where I failed than where I succeeded, and those failures clouded my understanding of grace. 

It isn’t too hard to imagine God being pleased with us, with him blessing us from his goodness, but imagining him taking pleasure in us is a step beyond that for many, is hard to accept. Many of us have been so ingrained with the concept of original sin that it’s hard for us to accept ourselves, let alone take pleasure in what we see when we look in the mirror. 

But the Scripture is crystal clear: God takes pleasure in us, much as a husband takes pleasure in his wife, or a parent takes pleasure in her child. If you are in a relationship where you find little pleasure in your spouse or children, what about a favorite pastime? I take pleasure in my bees, even if they occasionally sting me. I take pleasure in playing my bass, even though I’m not very good at it. As much as we may find pleasure in activities such as these, or in loving relationships, God takes even more pleasure in us. Knowing this changes everything! 

God not only seeks and saves us by his grace; he not only sanctifies us through his Holy Spirit and his Word; he not only forgives and corrects us; he takes pleasure in these imperfect, often insignificant, and wayward people who call themselves children of God. Lay your head down on your pillow tonight with this thought: “God not only is pleased with me; he finds pleasure in me.”