TUESDAY 16th
Psalm 37
NIV (vv5-6) – ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.’
ESV (vv5-6) – ‘Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.’
It was difficult to choose just one verse as the main text from this chapter for it is a chapter that brings much instruction which if followed will bring blessing into our lives. This chapter was given to me during a time when I was going through an extremely difficult time in my employment which was making life very difficult for me, I was faced with something that was both unpleasant and was going to have an affect on our future as a family. I do not need to go into the details other than a situation had arisen where attempts were being made to blacken my character, one Sunday morning a lady (who didn’t know the situation) got up during our worship service and simply said that she wanted to read a portion of Scripture and that she believed it was a word for me and this was the Scripture, Psalm 37. Imagine my surprise and the encouragement it gave me when the first verse was read, ‘Fret not yourself because of evil doers’ then v5 ‘Commit yourself to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.’ And what about verses 12-13 ‘The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the LORD laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.’ And there was so much more in this chapter that spoke into my situation. The result was that the LORD had my back covered, he was in control of the circumstances and I came through in the victory that he had already prepared. Verses 39-40, ‘The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him’.
Let me just highlight some of the instruction and result of heeding it in the first 9 verses,
Instruction: (Ins hereafter) (v1-2) Fret not because of evil doers – Result: (Res: hereafter) They will fade and wither.
Ins: (v3-4) Trust in the LORD, delight yourself in the LORD – Res: He will give you the desires of your heart.
Ins: (v5) Commit your way unto the LORD, trust in him – Res: He will act, He will bring forth your righteousness and your justice.
Ins: (vv7-8) Be still before the LORD, wait patiently for him, fret not yourself, refrain from anger – Res: The evil doers will be cut off, those who heed will inherit the land.
How about going through the remaining verses in this chapter and look yourself for more of these couplets of instruction and result, it is amazing to know that God is in control, he does know the way that we take, he is with us and as we place our trust confidently in him, and walk in obedience to his command, he will bring us through and cause us to stand up tall with our heads held up.
This chapter very clearly shows that there are only two outcomes in life, the way of the LORD which is a way of blessing and of eternal reward and the way of the wicked which leads to destruction. Verses 27-28
The challenge to us all is to ensure that we walk through this world in which we are traveling with integrity, knowing that we do not walk it alone for our Saviour walks it with us. ‘All the way my Saviour leads me: what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him to dwell! For I know whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.’