Thursday, May 25, 2017

Psalm 37

Those who belong to the Lord experience true wisdom, prosperity, and success.  They may not be wise in the world's view of things.  They also may not be successful or wealthy according to the world's standards.  A true child of God, however, has all he or she needs for time and for eternity! As children of God we experience the Lord walking beside us and directing all of our steps!  As children of God we possess the Lord's wisdom.  We experience the Lord's definition of success and prosperity in our lives.  The secret to being wise and successful according to the Lord's definition is to trust in the Lord.

We need to not only trust in the Lord, but we need to actually delight ourselves in the Lord.  We must have a sense of the Lord's presence in our lives.  We must have a passion for the things of the Lord. We must delight in reading His Holy Word.  We must delight in seeking to do His will. Our ultimate delight should not be in our homes, our jobs, or even our families.  Our delight and purpose for our lives should be found in the Lord and in serving Him.  Then the other things in our lives will take their rightful place in our lives.  Then the Lord's desires will become our desires, and thus we will also be given the desires our hearts.

As children of God you and I are rich in His blessings and promises!  All the wealth and wisdom of this world can not begin to compare to the joy and blessings of belonging to the Lord.  He promises to always be with us.  We read in Psalm 37:5-6, "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."

Even when we face insurmountable problems the Lord will see us through or around our problems, if we trust in Him.  No problem is too big or too small for the Lord.  God is all sufficient.  We only need to come to Him with our needs and leave them with Him.  Psalm 37:7 tells us, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret---."  We need to calmly wait in trust for the Lord to work out the details of our lives.  We need to be busy in God's kingdom, but we need to be trusting the Lord to work out His plan of our lives.  The Lord's command to us is "do not fret" and do not worry.

The child of God is rich and successful in the Lord!  The child of God is successful in things that matter for eternity!  The child of God is rich in the blessings of God's promises.  Psalm 37:17b-19 says, "---the Lord uphold the righteous.  The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever.  In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty."

God never promises that we will have all days of sunshine and days where everything goes according to our plans.  He does promise, however, to always be with us and meet our needs. Psalm 37:23-24 promises, "If the Lord delights in a man's ways, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand."  What an awesome promise!

No wealth or success we might experience in this world can begin to compare to the wealth and security we have in the Lord and in His promises!  Verse twenty-five is one of this devotional writer's favorite verses in Psalm 37.  It reads like this, "I was young and now I am old. yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."  This devotional writer doesn't like to think of herself as old, but she has lived long enough to see that the Lord is always faithful. His plan is always best, and His timing is always perfect.  God's people will always be protected forever, and there is a future for the child of God!

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