Whatever Pleases Him
I wonder how many of us would be willing to say to the Lord, "Do with me whatever pleases You?" I am afraid that a lot of us want God to do for us what pleases us. Then, when we do not get that, we are upset with God. David did not have that attitude at all. David showed us the correct attitude when Absalom, one of his sons, stole the hearts of the people by asserting his influence and flattering people in the gate. Finally, Absalom went to Hebron, declaring himself to be the king of Israel. David fled from Jerusalem to avoid conflict with his son. As he left, he confided in his friend Zadok. David knew that if God delighted in him, He would bring him back to Jerusalem. If not, David was content for God to do with him whatever He pleased. (II Samuel 15:25,26) I believe that is instructive for all of us.
We should all trust the Lord to bless us and to do what is best for us, if He takes delight in us. Once we realize that is how God operates toward us, our daily priority will be to live in such a way that He will delight in us. Then, we leave the rest up to Him. Our prayers are not lists of what we want Him to do for us to make us happy. Our prayers become conversations with God where we ask Him to show us His will so we can do it in a way that pleases Him, whether it is what we would choose or not. After all, He is Lord of all. He is not going to allow us to order Him around, so we should submit humbly to Him and receive whatever He pleases to give us. I pray that we all will come to the point where we can say to God, just what David said and say it very sincerely.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 16-18.
We should all trust the Lord to bless us and to do what is best for us, if He takes delight in us. Once we realize that is how God operates toward us, our daily priority will be to live in such a way that He will delight in us. Then, we leave the rest up to Him. Our prayers are not lists of what we want Him to do for us to make us happy. Our prayers become conversations with God where we ask Him to show us His will so we can do it in a way that pleases Him, whether it is what we would choose or not. After all, He is Lord of all. He is not going to allow us to order Him around, so we should submit humbly to Him and receive whatever He pleases to give us. I pray that we all will come to the point where we can say to God, just what David said and say it very sincerely.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 16-18.