God’s good pleasure

“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13, YouVersion Bible Link ESV

Paul is talking about the Church in Philippi, but I should be able to read it more personally. As I was trying to wrap my head around this verse, I began to reorder the words in another way and swapped the pronouns from “you” to “me”, so the verse looked like this:

God works in me for his good pleasure—both to will and to work.

So God works in me to will? What does that mean? Also, God works in me to work? Isn’t that repetitive?

Since there’s two things going on here, I want to first look at how God works in me “to will.” My will only functions as a result of God’s work within me—work that allows me to even have a will. This is recognition that I cannot even will anything without effort from God. I’m reminded of a petulant child that will say, “I don’t need your help, dad! I can do it on my own,” as dad almost secretly holds the booster seat in place so the kid doesn’t tumble to the ground. God works in me so that I will do just that—with His help. I will do what? I will do His will, hopefully, which will give God good pleasure if I do. Man, that sounds confusing.

“I don’t need your help, dad! I can do it on my own,” as the dad almost secretly holds the booster seat in place so the kid doesn’t tumble to the ground.

So what is will? I used to think of it as desire, but lately it makes more sense to view will as the outcome of a plan that has come together. If I will do something, that means I didn’t do it yet. When it’s done, then my will has come to pass.

When Jesus said, “Your will be done” in Matthew 26:42, many students of Scripture adopt those words for themselves—myself included. Paul simply clarifies for us in Philippians 2:13 that it is God gives who gives us will. I guess it could be called willpower. Because there’s certainly power behind God’s will. That sort of power cannot be left floating around doing nothing—so it naturally results in action, the “be done” part of what Jesus said. Jesus didn’t say, “Your will be acknowledged” or “Your will hang in the air to inspire us.” He said “be done”—wrap it up and put a ribbon on it.

If we love because God first loved us, we work because God first worked through us—both of which, I think, gives God good pleasure.

Finally, God works in me “to work?” The repetitiveness in this verse is affirmation that in order for God’s will to be done, God will work through us for us to do his work. It’s kind of like this: if we love because God first loved us, we work because God first worked through us—both of which, I think, gives God good pleasure. John Piper even wrote a book called The Pleasures of God. Check it out.