Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Delighting the Heart of God

Psalm 69:30-31 – I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.

THEME OF THE DAY: DELIGHTING THE HEART OF GOD. Every Christian longs to please the Lord. We yearn to obey the Apostle Paul’s words, “Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). Every day we should want to bring delight to the Lord in how we live, speak, and conduct ourselves in a godless world.  And there are many ways we may do so.   For today, I want us to focus on one of those ways.  It is found in today’s scripture.  We please the Lord and bring delight to His heart by living a life bathed in the spirit of thanksgiving.

The Psalm writer, David, proclaims his intention to do two things.  First, offer God worship through song.  He was committed to being a worshipper of God and expressing such in a variety of ways to include song.  Then, he would exalt his God with an intentional act of his will toward thanksgiving.  A good side lesson here is to know that worship begins in the will, not the emotions.  As in all Christian living, it takes our minds, hearts, and wills but it is the will that puts all truth into action. David would further state that worship and thanksgiving is far more pleasing to the Lord than the giving of sacrifices.  And the same applies to us.  We may not be giving the Lord an ox or bull, but we do offer Him sacrifices; our time, ministry, material things, and these each have their proper place, but more significant to the Lord is our heart.  It is the heart of the matter that is the heart of the matter when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.  So, why does a heart of thanksgiving so please the Lord?   Consider two things.

First, a thankful heart delights the Lord because it reveals a child of His gladly submitting to His sovereignty – “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I sometimes want this verse in my Bible to read, “Give thanks in good circumstances that don’t irritate me or try my faith and patience”, but it cannot be.  Our maturity in Christ will be revealed from our attitude during times of pain, suffering, and tough situations.  If we are more on the complaining side than thanksgiving side, we have some deep spiritual work to be done in our hearts when it comes to glad submission to the unfolding sovereignty of God in our lives.

Next, a thankful heart delights the Lord because it reveals a Christian filled with His Spirit. Does not the Lord delight in our obedience?  Does He not take great pleasure in seeing His children walk in the provision of His Spirit, not the spirit of the world, in loving obedience to all His commands?  In the letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul would give the characteristics of a believer filled with the Spirit of God – “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-21).  One of the characteristics is a thankful heart.  This becomes not only a characteristic of being Spirit-filled, controlled, and led, but also one of the requirements to be Spirit-filled, controlled, and led.  Are we lacking close fellowship with the Lord?  Is our joy level low?  Are we riddled with stress, worry, and anxiety, void of the peace of God that passes all understanding?  A good place to start to see why might be in the area of being thankful for all things in our lives.  We cannot know the Lord’s fellowship, joy, and peace if His Spirit is grieved due to us lacking a thankful heart.

Delighting the heart of God.  What a privilege we have been given to do so.  It all begins with thanksgiving.  May the Spirit of God, who creates such a heart in God’s children, find us submissive and teachable to this noble and necessary work.

PRAYER: “Lord, teach me to live a life of thanksgiving, not sometimes, but all the time.”

QUOTE: “A heart of thanksgiving is a life of being filled, controlled, and led by the Holy Spirit.”