"When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7)
Human behavior patterns can please the Lord. A servant can please his master. A son can please his father. A student can please his teacher.
"Without faith it is impossible to please him." Hebrews 11:6 does not say that it is improbable but that it is impossible. It is totally outside the realm of a possibility that a man can please God without first trusting in Him. He wants to be believed, for one thing. The one who doesn't trust Him is virtually saying that God is not trustworthy. Then again, man cannot know God's will about the ways that please Him unless he believes what God has said.
When He is pleased He makes human enmity to melt and turn to peace. This is a general truth but not a universal one or else Christ would have had no enemies, for He wholly pleased the Father. Also, there would have been no martyrs. In the main, however, when a man pleases God, other men seem to like him and want to have a good relationship with him.
But the greatest reward to such behavior is the knowledge that we give God pleasure. This is an astounding thought and yet is exactly what our text teaches. Man can give God real pleasure. That is not to say that He is satisfied and seeks no further growth, development, or obedience from us. He is easy to please although hard to satisfy.
"The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, on those that hope in his mercy" (Psalm 147:11) "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation" (Psalm 149:4)
-- Rev. Roger J. Andrus