For His Pleasure

Read: Psalm 115

Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. Psalm 115:3

IN WORD

Some religions teach fatalism. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.” “If it’s meant to be, it will be.” “Everything happens for a reason.” The assumption is that human beings have little or no impact on the divine will—that whatever God wants to do, He is going to do. And He isn’t going to ask us about it.

Christians believe God is sovereign—that He is ultimately in control and will certainly accomplish His purposes. But Scripture also affirms that we can influence Him with our prayers and impact the way His purposes are accomplished. He incorporates us into His plans, and He uses those who are willing more integrally than He uses those who aren’t. Despite the voice of our inner fatalist—and most of us have one—we can partner with Him in His Kingdom work.

There are times, however, when we feel too much responsibility in that Kingdom partnership. We act as if everything depends on us, as if God will quickly move on to someone else if we don’t play our cards right, as if our capacity to blow it is greater than His capacity to make sure His will is done or our prayer is answered. We obsess over whether we qualify for the partnership and fear being left out of His plans if we don’t measure up. Instead of a God who does whatever He pleases, we end up with a God who does only what we earn, deserve, or arrange by pulling the right spiritual strings. And we live very stressful lives.

IN DEED

Relax. God is on His throne, and He does whatever He pleases. Yes, some aspects of His will for your life are dependent on your response, but He is patient and merciful and will keep setting you up for breakthroughs and blessings. He is not capricious in His generosity, dangling gifts in front of you and then pulling them away when you fail a test. He does not tease His children. His will for you is relentlessly good. It pleases Him to bless you. And as His own Word says, He does whatever He pleases.

ADDITIONAL READING: Psalm 103:19

The goodness of God knows how to use our disordered wishes and actions, lovingly turning them to our advantage.

BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX