A very good morning to you my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ
The Psalms give us such a wonderful opportunity to see the heart and passion of the writers who so desired to return to their First Love.
Psalm 37 is a much loved Psalm for very good reasons. Knowing how prone we are to be consumed with worries and struggles, David begins with the words, "fret not" because of evil doers; and two verses later he admonishes us to "trust in" the Lord.
Our lives are often consumed by worries about others, which is often tempered with envy over other people’s good fortune in comparison with our own poor lot in life. However, what is the great lesson we are forgetting? If the wicked do not turn to the Lord, this life is the best it will ever be for them. They have no great eternity with God in their future, but rather will be cut down just like the grass. No, David says that they are not to be envied!
Psalm 37 is a powerful and practical manual for life. Within its first eight verses are rich insights for finding joy and ridding yourself of negative thinking.
Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil.
This Psalm gives us “do-not” commands, behaviours we must leave behind to find God’s blessing and peace.
Here are a few thoughts from the first 8 verses that gives us positive actions we need to take to help us live in line with God’s plan for living joyfully.
1 Do not worry or be envious (verse 1). Let each day find you grateful for what God has given you.
2. Trust in the Lord (verse 3).
Whatever bothers you, trust God to be able to handle it better than you can in your own strength.
3. Do good (verse 3).
Life is about choices. Know that God will honour you when you do the right thing.
4. Delight yourself in the Lord (verse 4).
Fall in love with our Lord Jesus. Take time every day to sit quietly in His presence. Learn to delight in Him.
5. Commit your way to the Lord (verse 5).
Trust all that you do, every day, all your life, to God; He is able to handle it best.
6. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him (verse 7).
This does not mean to do nothing. Rather, it means that after you have done all you can, you should relax in the knowledge that God will take care of the rest.
7. Do not be an angry, vindictive individual (verse 8). Forgive as you have been forgiven; practice gentleness and self-control
Many of us who have been on life’s road for some time can agree with verse 25,
“I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His descendants begging bread.”
Remember, that God is the One who is providing for each day; not our employer or our businesses or even the government.
Our response as Christians must therefore be, “Turn from evil and do good; and dwell in the land forever.” The Lord knows everything about us; we can maybe fool those around us, but we cannot fool the Lord. The challenge is to live to please Him only and don't worry or think about pleasing those around us.
For us born again believers, God's commandments are quite simple.
Verses 3 and 4 say “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD: and He will l give you the desires of your heart”.
There lies the true "formula" for success. Let us, by the grace of God, not be so short-sighted that we fail to see beyond this temporary life. Let us, rather, look beyond our own experiences and delight ourselves in the Lord. He, alone, deserves our trust, for He orders all things for our own good. Things that may seem bad or distressing in our own eyes are tempered by God to bring about a greater good.
His love for us is so beyond our own understanding; He truly will give us the desires of our heart. Along with that, the desires of our heart will also change.
As we grow closer to the Lord, the more we will desire Him. The more we desire Him, the less the things of this world will tempt us.
Isn't it wonderful to know that the Bible is still relevant and its words can be trusted always.
So fellow believer let us fill our hearts and minds with the Word of God, so that God's righteousness may overpower the sin that so easily turns our hearts from Him.
So fellow believer please join with me and joyfully declare “What an amazing God we serve” Who alone is worthy of all our praise
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, may nothing distract me from time spent with You each day. Help me walk by the truths of Your Word and not by my feelings. Help me to keep my heart pure and undivided. Protect me from my own careless thoughts, words, and actions. And keep me from being distracted by MY wants, MY desires, MY thoughts on how things should be. Help me to embrace what comes my way as an opportunity... rather than a personal inconvenience. Lord help me to rest in the truth of Psalm 86:13, 'Great is your love toward me.' You see the ways I fall short and mess up. I want to tuck Your whisper of absolute love for me into the deepest part of my heart. I recognize Your love for me is not based on my performance so help us not to fret, but to trust in You Lord Jesus. Thank You that You love me as I am, unconditionally. Thank You that I can spend time with the Saviour of the world this morning and with You each day. Amen.
Much love from Margaret and Maurice
