A Guide to Faith-Based Living and Working! Click on picture to read…..
What Do You Want from Me, Lord? 5/31/26
Psalm 147:11 “Rather, the LORD’s delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (NLT)
According to the LASB (Life Application Study Bible), Psalm 147 was written when the exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem. The theme of the psalm is its focus on what gives God joy. It states that, although God created everything, his greatest joy comes from our genuine worship and trust in him.
The NIV translation of this verse is, “the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”. The primary change is the word, “fear” instead of “honor”. While they both are very similar in their meanings, we can in this instance substitute “fear” with revere which then becomes, “…the LORD delights in those who revere him…”
Why spend time on what seems to be a simple matter of slight variation of translation? A simple change of wording? Because this is an important understanding for us as Christians. What pleases God? How can we please God; that is please a God who literally has everything? Our God who needs nothing? God presents to us the highest dilemma when it comes to deciding what to give him for Christmas. What do you want from me, Lord? How can I please you?
We have already given away the answer. God is most pleased, and God’s joy at its highest, when we come before him to worship him—individually perhaps, but also so very important, corporately. To gather as believers and together sing praise and worship, honoring him, and revering him; recognizing and acknowledging, as much as we are able from our limited understanding, all that he is. All that he has done. All that he continues to do on our behalf. He loves. He sustains. He listens. He responds. He provides. The list can go on and on. We are to think about, acknowledge and give God our praise and our worship; understanding that our coming before God in worship in humble reverence brings God joy. For this incredibly important reason, we are to worship God in the company of our fellow believers on a regular basis, because this pleases God. It makes our Father in heaven happy. Can we imagine that? Pray over that?
At the heart of this matter is the true meaning and the importance of worship. It is time for us, once and for all, to put aside any thoughts and ideas that attending worship services is somehow about us and what we get out of it. (Although God often gives us joy in return as we worship him.) It is our one chance each week to come before God and make God smile down on us…to give God, the Creator of the Universe, joy! That is an incredible thought and is something worth thinking about, don’t you agree? It is about giving God our full attention and placing him where he belongs--front and center in our lives. This is how God delights in us.
Now that we have settled this point, because God is so good, he responds to our worship and praise. Returning to the LASB for a moment, this point is made: “We may spend a lot of effort trying to sharpen our skills or become physically fit. There is nothing wrong with doing so, and, in fact, our gifts can be used to glorify God. But if we use our gifts with no regard to God, they are indeed worth little. It is our honor (reverence) and trust that God desires. When he has those, then he will use our gifts and strengths in ways far greater than we can imagine.” Simply put, God responds.
Our life application today? It is to come back to understanding the importance of worship. Worshipping God is not about us. It is not a matter of what we get out of it. Have you ever heard, as I have and most likely you have, someone say, “I don’t think I will go to church this week because I just don’t seem to get anything out of it.”? Wow…this is just…so…wrong! Worship is about our focus on Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and all that has ever been created; instead of ourselves.
Lastly, will we, if we have not already done so, take an inventory of our gifts and talents that God blessed us with to determine how we are to best serve him? This has provided me over the years, and will provide you direction on how to best plug into the church of Jesus Christ to use those God-given talents and skills to benefit his Kingdom. In doing so we continue to honor our Father in heaven.
Lord, God Almighty, we come to you this day in prayer to honor you and worship you in our hearts. It is you, Lord, who created us. It is you Father who sent your Son to die for us. It is in you, Jesus, who we put our trust for our salvation and eternal life. Soften and change our hearts where needed to bring this to an ever-increasing, ever higher level of reverence, praise and worship to you. Amen. (44.6)