‘The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse, but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.’ Proverbs 11.20
Verses like this can send us into a panic! After all, few of us can honestly say we are blameless, and if God only delights in the blameless then we are likely to be in trouble!
However, the two halves of the verse belong together and rather than the Lord reacting to our actions, he is actually responding to our hearts, or our motives. We may still feel unconvinced, suspecting that our motives are not entirely blameless, but in this proverb the opposite of blameless is perverse, and hopefully this does not apply to us.
The psalmist seems to be saying that although our actions may not be perfect, what is important is that we have set our hearts to follow God, no matter how imperfectly we may achieve it. We are all seeking God’s transforming touch on our lives, and because of this his delight is upon us.
Why not take a few moments to let these words have an impact upon you: “Father God, you delight in me.”
