Is God pleased with us?

Read Psalm 147.

Our options for personal pleasure are many.  There seems to be no end to the list of items and activities that could capture our attention and time.  But the psalmist reminds us from verse 1 of the ultimate source of what is good, delightful and beautiful.

Taking notice of what God is doing all around us should ignite praise and singing in response.  This psalm appears to be written in three stanzas and each stanza has three parts.
1. vv.1-6
v.1- A call to  praise
vv.2-4 A cause to praise
vv.5-6 A conclusion to praise

2. vv.7-11
v.7- A call to praise
vv.8-9 A cause to praise
vv.10-11 A conclusion to praise

3. vv.12-20
v.12 A call to praise
vv.13-19 A cause to praise
v.20- A conclusion to praise

But right in the middle (v.11) is, perhaps, the strongest teaching point of all.  The LORD Himself takes pleasure in us!  What an amazing thought--that the all-powerful God of heaven would not only consider us but be pleased with us.  There are two qualifiers.  "The LORD takes pleasure..."
>"in those who fear him,"  Understanding who God is and our accountability to Him results in a holy respect and holy living.
>"in those who hope in this his steadfast love."  God is a jealous God and demands exclusive loyalty.  We hope in no one else for guidance and direction in this life and for the life to come.  It is His faithful love for us that compels us to praise and please Him.