When a person’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (16:7)
Some verses just come at the right time to turn your life around. I can remember many years ago, in pastoral ministry, worrying about what church members thought of me and trying to “please all of the people all of the time.” It is one of those things that just can’t be done. If you are not careful, you compromise your integrity by trying to do what makes everyone happy instead of doing what is right. When you are a leader you must do what is best for others; what is best is not always what they want. Another dangerous byproduct of being a people pleaser is that your leadership will be directionless. You tend to put your finger to the wind and see which way the wind is blowing before you act. It is important to listen to others and be sensitive to what the Lord might be saying through them, but the best leaders are led by the Holy Spirit and not by polls or popular opinion. If your self-worth comes from the opinions of others then you are in trouble. Just because they are pleased with you today, doesn’t mean they will be pleased with you tomorrow.
This verse, though, offers a way to live your life that brings freedom. Simply put, we really just need to please an audience of one; the LORD. If our ways please Him, then He takes care of the opinions of other people. Not everyone will agree with you or praise you, but they will be at peace with you. We have all known leaders who put God first in their lives and we respected them for that. Even when we disagreed with their opinion, we appreciated their heart and their character and would “agree to disagree.” When you focus on pleasing God and doing what He tells you to do then He takes care of the rest. The most freeing day of my life was the day I read this verse and figured that out. What a weight that was lifted from my shoulders knowing that I only had to please God! In pleasing Him, I would become a pleasing person to others (whether we agreed or not) and the Lord would work between us to bring peace in our relationship. It brings peace because you begin seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, but also because you stop trying to fix everyone else and get them to see things your way. Instead, you just do what the Lord says and trust Him to bring them along in His time and His way. Even those who would normally be considered “enemies” can be at peace with you when your ways are pleasing to God. Lean into that today!
