Derek Prince - Sharing God's Pleasures
How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. They feast on the abundance of Thy house and Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights. - Psalms 36:7-8, NASB, NIV
That, to me, is the most beautiful picture of God’s goodness. First of all, we turn to Him out of our need. We come to Him for refuge because we’re oppressed, because we cannot handle our problems. We take refuge in the shadow of His wings, but when we get in there under the shadow of His wings, then we discover that He’s provided much more for us than mere refuge. He’s provided a feast. He’s provided abundance. We feast on the abundance of His house, and not only that, but He gives us to drink of the river of His delights. To me, that’s staggering! God does not give us to drink of a river of our own delights, but of His delights. He shares with us the things that delight Him.
You see, there are so many things that we would naturally take pleasure in that are harmful. For instance, take the practice of smoking. Many people find great pleasure in smoking, but unfortunately we all know today it’s extremely harmful. It’s a potential cause of cancer. The difference with God’s pleasures is they are never harmful, and God wants to share with us His pleasures. He wants to give us to drink of the river of His pleasures, and not only are they pleasant but they are beneficial. They’re never harmful.