Psalm 37: Truth for Tumultuous Times Part 3

In the last two posts, we've walked through the first 26 verses of Psalm 37, noting how God wants us to respond to times of tumult by resting and trusting, being content with what God has allowed us, and standing firm on the certainty that God will not forsake His own.

Today, we're picking up our passage in verse 27, with the continued theme of responding to the apparent prospering of the wicked by simply doing right. 

"Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore"

It's amazing in this passage just how many times God tells us why He wants us to respond the way He does. 

"For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever."  (28-29)

Those are encouraging truths, to be sure! Our departing from evil and doing good should be motivated by the fact that we are God's --we belong to Him, and He will preserve us "for ever". The wicked may seem to be prospering, whether with fame, fortune, or success in driving situations or laws to further their own wicked goals, yet the wicked are ultimately acting in vain. God sees, God knows, God will judge. That should motivate us to be living in such a way that the wicked will see that we are different, because we belong to God.  

Next, God paints a picture of what this should look like:

"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgement. The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." (30-31)

This is a good place for us to stop and check our own lives. How is your speech? Is it characterized by wisdom and judgement, rooted in the Word of God? You see, amidst the clamor and chaos of the world, our words should not just echo the din of opinions out there. We should be able to speak with authority from the certainty of the truths of God's Word. 

It is convicting to think how many words I say (or write) each day, and yet how few of those relate directly back to Scripture. I wonder what an impact it would make on our society if we as Christians began to commit to speaking God's truth instead of our opinion.  

God also gives us a portrait of the wicked. 

"The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him." (32)

If it feels like the wicked have it out for you, it's because it really is true. The current crises in our country have made it even more clear to me that this world really does watch Christians to try to catch them tripping up in some way. 

I'm reminded of several men in Scripture who were watched with evil intent: Daniel and Mordecai come to mind right away, and of course, Jesus, whom the Pharisees were always watching, trying to find an excuse to put Him to death. 

Jesus explained this phenomenon when speaking to the Pharisees,

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh it of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44)

Before salvation, sins such as lying and hatred and even murder were natural to us all, for we were sinful human beings, serving Satan. Once saved, the Holy Spirit indwells our hearts and does battle with our sin nature. With God's empowering, we can have victory over the sin which once was just a way of life. The wicked seek to destroy us because Satan seeks to destroy us. Darkness cannot coexist with light, truth cannot coexist with lies. That is why the battle rages. 

But lest we be discouraged by this reminder that the world (and our greatest enemy, Satan) watches us with the intent to destroy, God followed this truth up with another promise:

"The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged." (33)

God has already won the victory over Satan, and the wicked of this world will likewise perish, but even if it seems that God leaves us in their hand in this life, we will be free from their persecution for eternity to come. In the final judgment, all their efforts to destroy God's children will come back upon their own heads, and we who have accepted Christ's gift of salvation will be pardoned and welcomed home. 

The following verse gives another admonition:

"Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." (34)

I think this encapsulates everything God says in this psalm about responding to the wicked. Waiting on God covers delighting, resting, committing our ways to Him, and being content with what God has allowed. It includes keeping our eyes on God, letting Him order our steps and lift us up when we fall. If I had to choose one thought to give you from this passage it would be this: wait on the Lord. 

But God is not done. There's even more to encourage us!

"I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." (35-36)

Here, as in verse 25, David gives us his Divinely-inspired words of testimony. This time, he illustrates the truth of just how fragile the rule of the wicked really is. 

I am reminded of the time (long after David's reign) when Jerusalem was besieged, and the hosts of Sennacharib had surrounded the city in all their pomp and might. Yet, when Hezekiah humbly prayed for deliverance, God took care of them in one night, without the Israelites having to do a thing! (2 Kings 19) 

 No matter how mighty the wicked may seem, no matter how strong the forces of spiritual warfare may appear to be, we must always remember that God is infinitely mightier and stronger, and it is He who will triumph --who has already triumphed-- on our behalf. 

"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off." (37-38)

Here is one last contrast: The end of the righteous is peace, but the end of the wicked is destruction. This should encourage, but also burden us. As easy as it is to talk about "the wicked" and "the world" (and it is Biblical to do so), it can be just as easy to forget that both those categories we speak of are collections of individuals. The wicked are headed for destruction, and while that is obviously meant in this passage to encourage us to do right no matter what they do, it also means that each one of those individuals in the world who have rejected Christ are headed to Hell for eternal punishment. More than anything, they need us to be Christlike testimonies and bold witnesses to the saving work of Christ. 

It is appropriate to pray for God's justice to be done, for that is God's heart: "to fulfill all righteousness", as Jesus said. (Matthew 3:15)  but it is just as much a part of God's heart and nature to pardon. We should never pray for the wicked to be judged without also praying that the wicked might be saved. 

After all, that's what we're here for, right? 

This psalm of encouragement ends by bringing us back to the root of the matter: 

"But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him." (39-40)

Whatever happens in this crazy, turbulent, chaotic world of ours, we can rest assured that God is at work, and that our salvation from sin as well as our victory over the wicked are not of ourselves, but of God. It is He who gives us the power to "Depart from evil, and do good".

Psalm 37: Truth for Tumultuous Times Part 2

In my last post, we saw from Psalm 37:1-15 that God wants Christians to respond to the chaos and clamor of the wicked world around us by delighting in Him, resting, ceasing from anger, and doing good.

Of course the reason we can rest in the midst of the wicked world is because we know that God is the Judge of all, and because we trust that He will make it all right in due time. If you haven't read the post, click here to read it.

The next two verses of Psalm 37 continue the theme of how to respond when the wicked are prospering. 

"A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous." (16-17)

It can be so easy to look around and wonder why the wicked seem to "get away with" their wickedness, and even seem better off for it, but we who try to do right just barely scrape by financially. Or perhaps it is that the wicked seem to get far more attention than the righteous. The world shouts their message, but tries to silence ours.

Whatever it is that strikes you as most unfair about our current situation, God again calls us to respond oppositely to the world. The world shouts "that's unfair!" and stamps its feet like a tantrumy child, demanding to be noticed and placated, but God calls us to be content. After all, the little we have is better than their riches, because, unlike them, we have God on our side, and He owns it all!

We can meet unfairness with contentment, because we know God, and because He knows us. Look at the next verses in our passage:

"The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away." (18-20)

God knows, and will provide for us. However the wicked seem to prosper, they prosper only for this time. They have their riches for now, but we will have ours for eternity! Again, we are reminded that God sees the wickedness of the wicked, and will judge in due time.

Next, God contrasts the behavior of the wicked and the righteous in another area:

"The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off.

Not only are we to delight where the world would worry, rest when the world would rage, and be content when the world would demand recompense, we are also to meet the world's dishonesty and greed with mercy and generosity. Again, we are to respond to the wicked by doing exactly the opposite of what they are doing.

I admit, it is hard to be generous to a greedy or stingy person. But isn't that what God does for us every day? Notice also that our generosity is fueled by His own. We can give because we are blessed by God, and are destined to "inherit the earth". I could go down a theological and eschatological rabbit trail here, but I'll save that for another day. The point is, we can afford to be generous, because everything we have has been provided by the One whose provision is limitless! He is more than capable of refilling anything we pour out to others. As my pastor likes to remind us, you just can't out-give God!

This generosity is not just financial, though. We are to be just as generous with our mercy. The knowledge of the eventual judgement toward which the wicked are heading should provoke pity in our hearts. After all, they are hurtling headlong into the hands of the Just and Righteous Judge, whose laws they have broken. It ought to burden our hearts, to motivate us to do all we can do to seek their salvation. After all, the greatest mercy we can ever show is to point a hell-bound sinner to Christ!

I'll end this post with some of the most encouraging verses in this passage. Against the backdrop of the darkness of this wicked world, God holds up a bright gem of hope:

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. he is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed." (23-26)

Here is a real life testimony of God's hand of blessing on the one who walks in His ways. When the world tries to trip him up, the Lord is there to catch him. When he gives generously, the Lord provides his needs. Despite the hopelessness of the world, God is there, and has promised to take care of His own.

Psalm 37: Truth for Tumultuous Times Part 1

We live in a day when society at large is clamoring for many things. I'm not here to get into politics, but I do have to acknowledge that many of the things being pushed for right now are contrary to the word of God. The outright, unashamed wickedness being applauded by the world and even some Christians is appalling to say the least. Our streets are filled with protests that end with looting and violence, hatred and bigotry are hurled by both sides of the protests, and let's not forget that a pandemic is still raging. It can seem at times like the world, or at least our part of it, is spinning out of control.

But then, there's God.

Psalm 37 is a striking call to God's people to trust Him during tumultuous times. In the very first two verses, we are encouraged to see past our fear of the wicked, and our envy of their apparent success, to the truth of God's ultimate control over the situation.

"Fret not thyself  because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb."

We are also told how we should respond to times when the wicked seem to prosper:

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

We are to trust in the Lord, to continue to do good, just as He has commanded. We are to delight in Him. --Have you ever noticed how worry and delight cannot coexist? When we are delighting in the Lord, we will not be worrying about the wicked. 

Those things we worry over, those concerns and burdens, the desire for the wicked not to prosper any more; those are the hearts' desires we can trust God with. He may not do exactly what we would desire the way we think it should be done, but we do know that we can take our desires to Him, knowing that He will do what is right and best. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth often says that God's will is what we would choose if we knew all that He knows. We can trust God with our heart's desires.

Not only are we called to delight in the Lord, we are to commit our way unto Him,

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass."

Again we are told to trust Him. But again, we are told the result --and it is glorious!

"He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noonday."

No matter what the wicked do or say, God will never be fooled. He will one day recognize the faithfulness of those who meet the onslaught of wickedness with a consistent, Spirit-filled righteousness. I don't know about you, but to me, a "well done" from God is well worth having to bear the censure of the world.

The next verse calls us to something surprising: rest. With the wicked seeming to prosper, society applauding them and pressuring us to applaud along with them, we're supposed to rest?

But that's exactly what God says to do:

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

Notice that the way we are to rest is by waiting patiently for the Lord. I don't know about you, but I often have a hard time waiting, and an even harder time waiting patiently. Interestingly enough, when we look around at the world and see the individuals swept up in the chaos of riots, what characterizes them?

Impatience.

They want justice. That's not wrong. But they want it now. That's where the riots come from. These rioters are too impatient to wait for the due process of the law.  Our country is built upon principles and laws that make provision for the lawful pursuit of justice. Rioting is not one of them.

These concerned citizens have the right to protest, to publish their pleas for justice, their opinions about what the problem is, and their plans for a solution. In our age of technology, they can do this via poster, newspaper, magazine, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, television, documentary, not to dismiss the venerable tradition of the old-fashioned mailer. But any effort at change requires a measure of patience.

The same holds true to us as we watch changes taking place in our country and our society that serve to pull people farther away from God. We watch, we worry, we fume at times over the blatant wickedness being held up for approbation, but God calls us to rest.

Why? For the simple reason that He is the Judge of all, and will surely make everything right in the end. In fact, it's not just rest and patience that are required.

"Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil"

When we are resting in the knowledge of God's perfect justice, we not only will be able to rest in Him, we will "cease from anger, and forsake wrath". Did you know that impatience with God's justice system results in anger? And anger unchecked will result in evildoing.

Take the recent protests, for example. The people were protesting because they wanted justice. Yet their protests began long before our justice system even had time to hold a hearing concerning the three officers involved. They wanted "instant" justice. Sounds like impatience, right? Then, as they protested, they became more and more angry, and their anger, once unleashed, led to certain of the protesters committing injustices of their own: looting, destroying others' property, injuring, and even killing others.

This is what God is commanding us not to do in the face of injustice. We are to patiently wait for God's justice, to allow our trust in His timing to remove all anger from our hearts. We are to do good instead of evil, refusing to allow anger to make us act in a way that reflects the wicked actions that made us angry in the first place.

There is good reason for us to trust. God Himself says it:

"For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

For yet for a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The Lord shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming.

The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken."

(Psalm 37:9-15)

Take heart, weary Christian, God will act in due time!

True Peace

We live in turbulent times.

Last night, my little town's four-block downtown was scheduled to be the site of a protest. You've probably heard the horror stories of the recent protest-turned-riot trend; buildings set on fire, stores looted, people hurt or killed.

As my family and I settled in for the evening, we weren't sure what to expect. I remembered a video someone had posted on social media earlier in the week from a city where protests were happening. Throughout the video, you could hear sirens and what sounded like someone shouting through a megaphone in the background. Would that be the soundtrack to our evening? We were only a short walk away from the protest, so if anything catastrophic unfolded, we would be sure to hear it.

So, we settled in for the evening, waiting, wondering, but oddly enough, I've never felt more safe. I had a sense of inner certainty that whatever the evening might bring, it would not be more than we could handle, because we were resting within the protection of our heavenly Father's care.

That is true peace.

One thing I think everyone can agree on is that we want peace for our nation, our states, our communities. We don't want to have curfews, or be in fear of our city being set on fire, We don't want to turn on the news only to hear of more violence or discord.

But collective peace comes from individual effort. Until we can be at peace individually, until we can be self-controlled and measured in our individual responses, until we are set free from the slavery of our own individual hatred and bitterness towards others, there will be no peace. And each of these individual qualities can only be addressed within the heart of the individual.

Instead of shouting or chanting or lying on the ground, what if the outrage sparked by recent events caused Americans to respond with quiet strength, to look first within and see what was in their own hearts, and then, having dealt with the beam in their own eye, to try humbly and patiently to help their brothers remove the specks from theirs?

Whichever side you may be on, there is no denying that the vehement, violent, destructive responses are fueled by individual hate. It is hate that motivates the individual to throw bricks, set fires, or shout in people's faces. That is not peace, love, or tolerance.

"There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22) For the Christian, the state of our communities, our nation, and the world is not what determines whether or not we have peace. It is natural that the wicked be without peace, for we were not designed to have peace apart from God.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."  He tells us we will have tribulations, but then tells us to be of good cheer. Humanly, that makes no sense. If we're going to be experiencing trouble, why would we be happy? Because Jesus has overcome. He is in control, and He is stronger than any force of evil we will ever face. Whatever trouble comes to us must first pass through His loving hands.

I read John 14 this morning in my time with God, and I was struck by Jesus' statement in verse 27. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

A Christian's peace is not the peace of the world. The world has peace only when everyone is getting along and everything is going well. Its peace is dependent upon circumstances. As Christians, our peace transcends circumstances. No matter what is happening, no matter who opposes us, no matter how bleak our circumstances, we can be at peace, because we trust the One who is overseeing and orchestrating those circumstances for our good.

This is the same reason Christians can choose a measured response to wrongs committed against them or their loved ones, because they trust that God knows what He is doing in allowing those wrong things. Justice is right and good, but must be obtained through appropriate measures, and with a heart of forgiveness --not condoning the wrong, but extending to them that forgiveness which we ourselves have received from God.

So, how's your peace? Are you resting and trusting, or fearing and fighting?

What Do We Do With the Rest?

It was just a simple question, almost spoken in passing during one of Pastor's sermons. But it struck me at the time, and I wrote it down in my sermon notes.

I don't even remember the exact context of it now. I only know that the Holy Spirit used it to cause me to examine how I had used the days of "rest" during Christmas break. As I ran across this question again this week, I was reminded of the responsibility we all have to use the times of rest God gives us wisely and well.

This current crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has left many of us somewhat -if not completely- isolated, and has cleared our schedules of the external things with which we keep ourselves so busy.

So what have we done with this opportunity to rest? Have we kept ourselves busy worrying? Have we filled up our extra time with binge-watching or social media, trying to numb loneliness or fear? Have we continued to rush from distraction to distraction, or have we used this time to rest in the Lord; to be still before Him? Have we brought our burdens and fears to Him, then enjoyed the rest of knowing that He has heard and will act for our good?

As the world around us has ground to a halt, have we allowed ourselves to slow down as well?

Being too busy has become somewhat of a habit for me, and it has taken a concerted effort for me to let myself slow down and accept this season of rest. Yet I know that God has provided it for a reason, and means for it to draw me closer to Him.

I have to be careful, lest I overcrowd my days with things that distract from the Lord, but that is not the only danger during seasons of rest. We might be as equally prone to squandering the season of rest by doing nothing. This week, I have struggled to stay motivated to do what I know I need to be doing.

 It often takes just as much effort to say "yes" to what God wants us to spend time on as it does to say "no" to things He wants us to avoid.

I have found that God sometimes gives me rest by having me do something that I might not think will promote rest. For example, I usually take a nap on Sunday afternoons (doesn't everyone?). However, during this time when I have more opportunity for physical rest, I have found it helpful to use that time on Sundays for extra Bible reading and study instead. This has helped me rest spiritually and physically, since giving up my nap makes me more tired when it's time to sleep.

Whatever your season of rest looks like, it has come with a responsibility, and we must each ask ourselves, "What do we do with the rest?" The answer will be a bit different for each person, and requires that we spend time being still before the Lord, asking Him to direct us throughout each day.

As always, the key is to stay focused on God and submitted to His will -even in our times of rest.

"Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 

Matthew 11:28-29

Choosing Rest in the Midst of Chaos

Have you ever had a week where you feel like you've fallen flat on your face spiritually?

The week before last, I had much to accomplish, and several definite deadlines to meet, as well as several extra projects that walked in --all on a week which I knew would end in a busier-than-usual weekend. I felt overwhelmed and got to the point where I was even having trouble processing new tasks and information. My to-do list was getting longer by the minute, and I couldn't even think through what needed to be done next!

Now, if you've read my post on When Life Gets Busy, you know that I knew exactly how to handle this busy season. I had all the spiritual tools I needed, and I had God Himself to help me meet the challenging week with grace and peace in calm efficiency, but did I?

Nope.

With every item added to my schedule I could feel the stress building up inside me, and although I knew how I should have handled it, I gave in and let myself feel hurried and frazzled as if it was all up to me to get everything done.

The old simile of a headless chicken seems very applicable...

Anyway, the whole week continued about the same way, and all the while the Holy Spirit was whispering an invitation to come and rest. -Not to ignore my responsibilities and give up, but to choose to rest on the inside while outwardly working to complete my necessary tasks.

You see, as much as we need physical rest (or maybe more!) we need to rest spiritually. Often, that means getting away by ourselves and taking the time with the Lord to reset ourselves, refreshing our spirits through God's Word and prayer.

However, we can't spend every minute in our prayer closets, and that is why we need to learn to rest in the Lord internally, no matter how chaotically life is swirling around us.

How can we do this? First of all, by remembering the truths of God's Word as they apply to our busy seasons. Psalm 119:165 says: "Great peace have they that love Thy Law and nothing shall offend them". God's Word can give us that extra motivation we need to get past that moment of reaction to a new stress. When another item was added to my list, I should have remembered that God's Word says that everything He allows in my life is for a purpose, and for my good.

That brings us to the second way we can choose rest: submission to the truths we know about God. Remembering that God means everything for my good isn't enough. In the swirling chaos of that busy week, I knew that God never makes mistakes and that He had a good purpose for the busy-ness He was allowing, but I chose not to submit to that truth. Submission to truth requires that I give up my "right" to feel that I am a victim, or that what God has allowed is somehow unfair or more than is reasonable. Submission to that truth also meant I could not congratulate myself on how well I was responding to the difficulties I was facing, or complain to others of how hard my week was.

Honestly, sometimes I just want to be grumpy, but that's not what God wants. Submission to God's truth is a surrender not just to the reality of that truth as it concerns God and His doings, but also to what that truth means about me and my attitude.

Isaiah 26:3 says:  "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee"

The key to choosing internal rest is to remember and submit to the reality of who God is and what He expects from me in response to that which He has allowed for my good.

--A footnote for those who wonder if it really makes a difference: since that busy week, I have had another even busier, but this time I did choose to rest in the Lord, and not only was I at peace inside, I was able to stay on top of my tasks and finish everything on my list earlier than I would have thought possible!

God's way always works!