Pleasing God

Is there anything more frustrating than desperately wanting to please someone and not being able to light the spark within them? Then someone else comes and does something, and they light up like a Christmas tree. The same thing can happen to your spouse, children, friends, and yes, God.

It is like trying to get your computer printer to work, and after trying everything you remember has worked before, it just sits there on the desk as still as a dark night. You call a computer expert and bingo; they hit the right buttons, and the printer comes alive.

Perhaps I’ve identified an issue that’s hindering God’s response to my efforts. Reflecting on it, I realize I try to predict God’s next action. I can become so distracted with His last assignment that I miss a turn when He makes it. The prayer I need the most is for the Holy Spirit to protect me from myself!!

Could it be that the idea that we cannot please God is mistaken? Perhaps our human perspective on pleasing God is so clouded by self-interest and expectations that we cannot see how simple it truly is.

We often try to get God’s attention or approval by doing what we think He desires, yet receive no response. What does it take to ‘wake God up’ and get Him to respond? David shared his frustration with God when he wrote, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2 (NIV) I wonder if God has similar frustrations with us at times.

I’m reminded of Moses’ words when he prayed, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” Exodus 33:13a (NIV) I’ve found things go much better when I’m on the same page God is on. He knows we are human and incapable of predicting Him. In contrast, we tend to think too highly of ourselves and believe we are solely responsible for success. That’s exactly the source of our difficulty. Rather than striving to do more, He desires that we humbly acknowledge our inability and desperation. He knows we need to lean completely on Him to cultivate the character, love, values, and ways of the Godhead. He wants us to give up our pride and need for control so He can mold us into His image. We will only be transformed into His image through reliance on Him.

Our immersion in present pleasures can blind us to coming developments. Our absorption in His previous assignment can lead to being blindsided when divine attention changes and we miss the curve in the road. We lay in the ditch in a daze, frustrated that He left us. Typically, when I am close to Him, I find great delight in serving others in His name. My enjoyment of this becomes so great that I assume He desires me to persist, causing me to not see when He shifts to address a different issue. While God wants us to find joy in our work with Him, we cannot allow our earthly assignment to become more important than our focus on Him. I, for one, must be more attentive to His moves, not my expectations.

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