You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Words evolve to mean new things, and the term, “Pleasure” is no exception. Once again a perfectly fine word is being hijacked into the sensual sphere. But let’s hang on to this word for dear life and use it for its intended purpose:
pleasure |ˈpleZHər|
noun
a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment
Summer is a time for pleasure. Those of us in colder climes feel the desire for summer fun acutely. We’ve been locked up indoors all winter, and the green grass and the cool water beckons us. Our bodies, deprived of Vitamin D, want to live outdoors every possible moment. Cubicles may confine us from 9 to 5, but nothing can keep us from the sunshine after work hours.
The Enemy hates pleasure, loving boredom and monotony, the breeding ground of bad ideas. He has devilishly tried to keep us from pure pleasure with two nasty lies.
First, he works to convince us that pleasure is bad: It’s a selfish way to live life and we should spurn it. It’s better to sit at the top of a pole for decades. You must forbid anyone in your home from pleasure, most especially on the Lord’s Day. That day of all days should be somber, still, and serious. Seriously stodgy.
The second lie is the antithesis of the first – that pleasure is all there is to live for. “Eat, drink, and be merry,” said Solomon in his backslidden state. So we eat like gluttons, drink like alcoholics, and make merry, doing everything our sensual passions could wish for.
Neither of these extremes are what the Lord had in mind when He created pleasure.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people… (Psalm 149:4)
Wonder of wonders, God takes great pleasure in us.
Think of an auto mechanic who has taken an old, run-down ’56 Chevy and brought it back to pristine life. That mechanic drives his vehicle with great pleasure! That’s a small glimmer of God’s pleasure in us. He loves us. Not only that, He likes us! He has taken us out of the proverbial trash heap, and given us new meaning in life, recreating us and restoring us to our intended purpose and destiny!
God loves pleasure. He has a storehouse of it in His hand. What does this signify? It means that in relationship with the Lord, we find the truest pleasure that life, through our Creator, can offer. True joy comes from Him. True pleasure is His to bestow to all who get close enough to His Person.
Are you tired of the monotony of your life? Are you seeking for pleasure in all the wrong places? Pray this plain and simple prayer with us today!
Father,
It seems too good to be true that You would care to upgrade my life to one that is filled with joyful pleasure. But if You say so, I will receive it, for I haven chosen to have faith in your Word!
Lord, would You please forgive me for my selfish quest for pleasure that has so often gone sour? It has left me with a horrible taste in my mouth and self-loathing in my heart.
I receive Your forgiveness from violating Your precepts by seeking to do life my way. I hang that up today. I choose to do life Your way beginning again this very moment. Thank you for cleansing me from all that isn’t right. Bathe me in Your Holy Spirit until I am clean and shiny like a newborn baby. White as snow in the summer sun!
Lord, I give myself over to Your notion of pleasure. Align my appetites with what is truly Good. And fill my cup with pure pleasure as I settle down closer to You day by day.
In Jesus Name,
Amen.
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