Is Our Heavenly Father Difficult to Please?

December 23, 2011

Scripture: Proverbs 23:15,16

My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine; Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak right things.

Observation

So this is how to please parents. Since this is inspired by the Holy Spirit, it’s also a good indicator of how we as God’s children can make our heavenly Father’s heart be glad and rejoice.

Application (Personal)

It’s not necessarily the difficulties I face or even the mistakes I make, it’s my responses that are so valuable. As Solomon went on to explain, we’re constantly tempted to distracting desires and relational questions (“How come evil people get to enjoy such opulence”). Ignoring that, or rather, looking through and beyond that, we are instructed to pursue wisdom, specifically the wisdom that comes from the Lord:

"Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long. For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off. Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way [of the Lord]."

Prayer (adapted from James 1)

Heavenly Father—Dad—I consider it wholly joyful whenever I am enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. I rest in confident assurance, understanding that the trial and proving of my faith brings out endurance and steadfastness and patience, which you know that I need more than wealth or convenience. So, I will let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that I may be among the people who are perfectly and fully developed, with no defects, lacking in nothing.

Okay, you know that I am deficient in wisdom. I’m catching on to that, too. So I ask you for wisdom, knowing that you give that to everyone who asks for that by faith, and you answer that liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding.

I realize now that every good gift and every perfect gift is from you. It comes from you, the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. After all, of your own will, you begat us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of your creatures.

Father, because you love me so, I choose to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. I want my actions to reflect your wisdom and the words off my lips to delight you with faithfulness, truthfulness, and grace.