Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 (NKJV)
Pleasure Seeker – Part 4
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Why does God do all this?
Why did David write that God is our protector and provider? That he gives our souls peace and rest? That he leads us through fear, that he feasts with us in our darkest hours, that he causes our empty and shattered cups to overflow beyond their capacity with his love and grace?
Psalm 23:3 says, “He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure, and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name.” (PT)
“In your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Ps 16:11 (NKJV)
“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” Ps 149:4 (NKJV)
God is a pleasure seeker.
What???
We’ve dirtied up the word pleasure. I cringed a little when I typed that word because of the selfish and slimy connotation our post-modern culture has attached to it. But it means the “highest delight”. Pure bliss. There are things that God finds blissful, and things that he doesn’t. There are things that bring him joy, and things that don’t. They are not so much actions or behaviours as they are our responses to his advances. He takes no pleasure in pride, be he delights when we respond to his love, when we look his way, when we lean into his wisdom, when we repent and pray, when we reject the limitations of sin nature and wholeheartedly embrace resurrection, throwing off our shrouds of shame and clothing ourselves in vulnerability, strength and dignity…
God seeks pleasure, delight, bliss – connection, wholehearted relationship – and he finds it in our responsive hearts.
Responsive, not perfected.
He takes no joy in our pain but marks it a sacred moment when we turn to him in the midst of it. He finds no pleasure in our exhaustion, but he is fulfilled him when we rest in his presence. There is no delight for him in our fear or heartache, but sighs with relief when we come to him for strength and peace. It doesn't bring him bliss when we are hateful and hurtful, but it is his greatest joy when we boldly bring our shame to him and lay it as his feet.
Col 1:20 (MSG) says,
God finds his bliss in union with humanity. And he delights in sharing with us the wonders and mysterious goodness of his ways and nature. And when his joy is fulfilled, it has a way of fulfilling ours too.
God does all this because at the heart of it, within everything that pertains to our lives; the pain and joy, the bright-eyed wonder, the stuck to the floor exhaustion, the hopes and dreams, the disappointments and fears – underneath, around and through it all beats his eternal heart of love for us all.
David completes his Psalm with,
“So why would I fear the future? For I’m being pursued only by your goodness and unfailing love. Then afterwards— when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”
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