Closer Day 9 | Psalm 37:1-11
Read: Psalm 37:1-11
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.
Reflect:
David is advanced in age when writing this particular Psalm, and we learn this later in v25. Once again, he provides wisdom on how to overcome worry or envy towards sinful, prosperous people and evil in the world. He points out that evil will not prevail, and people who live like this have no hope for the future. David describes them as grass that will wither and be no more. He tells God’s people to refrain from anger or retaliation because it is God who will bring justice. He says not to worry, be envious, or retaliate. Instead, to trust in, delight in, and commit our ways to the Lord. When this happens, God changes the heart’s desire to reflect His; He provides peace, protection, satisfaction, and rest in Him!
We can learn a lot from David. He was an imperfect, sinful man but had a heart for God. What he says in this Psalm gives us clear instructions on how to find peace in the midst of an evil, broken world. The answer is found in Jesus! He is the provider and perfector of our faith (Heb 12). When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us new life, eternal life, a life that is full of good works prepared in advance for us (Eph 2). When we obediently follow Jesus, it brings alignment of our hearts with His. When our hearts are aligned with His, we find delight in Him! This delight brings contentment and Fruit of the Spirit, which we can enjoy no matter what the world hits us with.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said this about Martin Luther, “They said of Martin Luther as he walked the streets, ‘There comes a man that can have anything of God he likes.’ You ask the reason of it. Because Luther delighted himself in his God.”
Prayer:
Pray that you would grow in your faith and commitment to the Lord. Pray that you delight in Jesus, that He would satisfy your soul, and that your source of Joy and contentment comes from Him and Him alone.
This devotional is part of our Closer: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Our hope is that this will assist you in focusing your heart each day. To learn more or to get caught up, click here.