In Whom the LORD Takes Pleasure

“His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

— Psalm 147:10-11 (NRSV)

Why is it we are so prone, in our different circumstances, to self-imposed pressure? We want rich and comfortable lives, yet, in trying to set our lives up that way, we so often put the cart before the horse and put unnecessary pressure on ourselves.

We defeat the purpose.

Nobody lives life without wanting the best out of it. Our base intentions are generally pure from that perspective. But with myriad distraction, and because of our brokenness, we are led off track hardly an instant from receiving safe bearing.

We, in the context of our world, are our own worst enemies.

So it is that we need to be reminded, again and again and again, that we serve a powerful God that has designed our service to be simple; to be achievable; to be anything but onerous.

Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

The Matt Redman song, The Heart of Worship, re-centralises us to the point of our origin. Life really is all about Jesus. And though we may be criticised for being so ‘religious’ we actually get the right perspective of life from that very centre.

From this bearing we would become more action and less about words.

As we come back to the heart of worship, we connect with a beautiful truth: there is no more need to push or try or pressure ourselves beyond what is simply noble. God expects nothing of the impossible from us, and it is impossible for us to expect ourselves to contain the unsustainable.

Why would we push ourselves to burn-out? Why, when everything within us says stop, do we continue? Why is it that we push ourselves beyond normal limits for so long? We ought to respect our limited mental, emotional, and spiritual capacities more. We are human beings, not gods.

Coming back to the heart of worship is a deliberate move to jettison the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves. God graces us with power so we would work within the realms of our weakness, and not to push our very weaknesses to breaking point.

It is our opportunity to get life, and to keep life, in proper perspective. It is wisdom.

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God calls us not to self-imposed pressure, impossible demands, or unsustainable ventures. Instead, God gives us the simplicity of purpose: to come back to the heart of worship and from there life begins and has all its fulfilment. The Lord takes pleasure in those who come back to the heart of worship.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.