How We Can Make God's Heart Rejoice

Consider how the family head Noah made Jehovah's heart rejoice. Noah "found favor in the eyes of Jehovah" because "he proved himself faultless among his contemporaries."  In stark contrast with the wicked people of that time, Noah's faith  and obedience  were so pleasing to God that it could be said that "Noah walked with the true God." (Genesis 6:6,8, 9, 22)  "By faith Noah . . .showed godly fear and constructed an ark for the saving of his  household."  (Hebrews 11:7) Jehovah was pleased with Noah and blessed him and his family with survival through that turbulent period of human history. 

The Patriarch Abraham also had an acute awareness of Jehovah's feelings.  His intimate knowledge of God's thinking was clearly evident when Jehovah informed him that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed because of their depravity. Abraham knew Jehovah well enough to conclude that it was an unthinkable that God would put to death the righteous man with the wicked one.  (Genesis 18:17-33)  Years later, in obedience to God's direction, Abraham  "as good as offered up Isaac," for "he reckoned that God was able to raise up even from the dead." (Hebrews 11:17-19; Genesis 22;1-18)  Abraham was so attuned to God's feelings and displayed such strong faith and obedience that 'he came to be called 'Jehovah's friend.' " -James 2:23.

Another man who endeavored to make God's heart glad was King David of ancient Israel.  Concerning him, Jehovah said: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man agreeable to my heart, who will do all the things I desire." (Acts 13:22) Before facing the giant Goliath, David put his implicit trust in God and told Israelite King Saul:  "Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he it is who will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Jehovah blessed David's confidence in Him, enabling David to slay Goliath.  (1 Samuel 17:37, 45-54)  David wanted not only his actions but also "the sayings of his mouth and the meditation of his heart to be pleasurable before Jehovah.' -Psalm 19:14. 

What about us?  How can we please Jehovah?  The more sensitive we are to God's feelings, the more we will become aware of what we can do to make God's heart rejoice. As we read the Bible, then, it is essential  that we make the effort to learn about God's feelings so that we "may be filled with the accurate knowledge  of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension, in order to walk  worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing him." (Colossians 1:9, 10) Knowledge, in turn, helps us to build faith.  This is vital because "without faith it is impossible to please [God] well." (Hebrews 11:6) Yes, by putting forth effort  to build strong faith and by bringing our lives into harmony with Jehovah's will, we can make his heart glad.  At the same time, we must be careful not to make Jehovah feel hurt at heart. 

Next time: Do Not Make God Feel Hurt

From the Watchtower magazine, 2004