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The Takes Pleasure in His People
Andrea Lende • October 16, 2020
Psalm 147:11 and Psalm 149:4
The Lord Takes Pleasure in His People
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Lord-Takes-Pleasure-in-His-People-el4qr8
Psalm 147:11
“The Lord takes pleasure in those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy and loving-kindness.”
Psalm 149:4
“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory.”
These two verses capture a piece of God’s essence.
He loves us.
He takes pleasure in us.
He has mercy upon us.
As we come to know more about God and His love, we are able to worship Him more fully.
When I was younger, I didn’t completely understand worship.
But as I grew older and my spirit became more in tune with God’s spirit, I was able to worship Him more fully.
I am now so grateful to be able to worship Him and all that He is and does.
Admittedly, I still do not fully understand His ways.
I do not fully understand the depth and breadth of God’s love.
But as much as I do understand Him and His ways, I am in awe of Him.
So, I hope in Him.
Our first verse says that the Lord takes pleasure in that.
Our second verse not only says He takes pleasure in His people but that He will make us beautiful in salvation.
Only He can make me beautiful.
As a flawed human being, the Lord purifies me and makes me beautiful.
And then He can look upon me as pure and beautiful.
There is no one on this planet who can look upon me as He does.
I am so grateful that the Lord makes me what He wants me to be because I am unable to help myself be anything but flawed and broken.
The Lord had a plan all along to make us His and bring us into His glory.
Today I choose to humble myself as I bow down at the Lord’s feet and be grateful that He makes me beautiful with His salvation.
May you find that the Lord beautifies you with salvation and adorns you with victory as He takes pleasure in you.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for making a way for me to be pure and beautiful in Your eyes. Thank You for loving me more than I can fully comprehend. Thank You for loving me even when I don’t deserve to be loved. You have made me, Father, and I ask You to mold me into the person You intended me to be. Soften my heart as I sit at Your feet. May Your will be mine, Lord. May Your desires be my desires. Help me see with Your eyes so that I may be of service to You. Help me serve Your people and put joy in my heart as I serve. May Your Holy Spirit completely fill my spirit with Your love because I desire to love as You love. Help me be kind even when I do not want to be kind. Take over my feelings and emotions so that my actions are soft and tender to those around me. Set a guard upon my mouth so I speak words of encouragement instead of words that hurt. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: You are beautiful in My sight, My child, and My Spirit is within you.
Response: Thank You, most gracious God and Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.