One of my favorite Psalms!! For just a moment while we are together here – let’s draw away and experience some of these excerpts:
“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong”…
“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”…
In 1983 we found ourselves under the power of some evil men. We did what we could to combat a situation that took our livelihood, jeopardized our family, and devastated our hopes for the future. Nothing we did made a difference.
Has God ever taught you the meaning of the Bible by having you live it? That’s what happened to us. While I wanted life to go back to the way it was - to escape the suffering (do I sound like the Israelites?) - the Lord wanted us to move forward and have us learn a particularly potent lesson by experience.
Life taught that Psalm 37 is exactly the way of the Lord. Trust and delight in God. Commit to Him. Dwell and enjoy safe pasture. Be still and wait patiently. The Lord knows about safety, desires of the heart, and justice.
Never mind fretting about the evil men. Until Jesus returns, there will always be evil men. Never mind being envious of those who are doing wrong and seem to be thriving. Appearances can be deceiving. We are ALWAYS safe in God’s presence. No exceptions.
One day about a year after the suffering began … it ended. An evil man doesn’t necessarily give up … but he is no match for God. The Lord’s righteousness shines. The justice of our cause was shown – yes just like a bright sunny hour in the middle of the day. Amazing. I would have missed the whole idea of Psalm 37 if I hadn’t lived through it.
Fretting over some evil guys? Looks like they have it made? Don’t be deceived. Hang out with the Lord. Let Him take care of your dawn, your sunshine, and your heart’s desires. After all – He created them.