“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight 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:” Psalm 37:3-5, NIV
Do you struggle to trust God when you can’t see Him at work?
You’ve waited patiently for the Lord to revive your marriage, yet another year has passed, and your relationship with your husband is still tense.
Year after year, you’ve faithfully put in the time at work, giving it your all while maintaining a positive attitude. But, yet again, at your annual review, you discover you won't be receiving that longed-for promotion.
Finally, you release the weight of worry about a wayward child to the Lord. But it's been nearly a decade, and they still haven’t returned to church; they seem further away from God than before.
It can be challenging to trust that the Lord is working all things for our good ( Romans 8:28), especially when we’ve been extended seasons of waiting without any apparent improvement or results.
That’s where we find ourselves as we look at our key verses, Psalm 37:2-4. To give some context, Psalm 37 is a wisdom poem addressed to man, not a prayer to God. David starts off this Psalm by encouraging us not to worry about evildoers and not to envy those who do wrong. So often, we work ourselves up in an uproar, wondering when “bad people” will be held accountable. We ask how long God will allow evil to prevail or corrupt people to go unpunished. We struggle to see God’s good plan in a world of sin.
But David reminds us that we don’t need to waste time or get heated up over those who do wrong. David is not suggesting that we ideally sit back and allow evil to run wild, but simply that we don’t let their actions cause us anxiety or fear. Instead, the unrighteous will go away at the proper time or whither up and die like grass, as David points out in Psalm 37:2.
While we can’t control the actions of others, we can control our response and choose to trust, delight, and commit to the Lord in all circumstances.
TRUST
We put our confidence not in man but in the Lord; we act righteously because we serve a holy God. Sometimes, it will be difficult to obey the Lord’s commands and fully trust Him, but that is when we remember all the ways He has shown Himself faithfully in the past. We can do good works for God’s glory, not earn favor, but an outpouring of gratitude for all the ways He has cared for us.
TO DELIGHT
Delighting in the Lord means we can express gratitude for all the many blessings found in Christ because He is the giver of all gifts. We must be careful not to show gratitude towards the Lord only when it benefits us and our desires. A person focused on delighting in God is more concerned with a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father than what God can do for them. When we focus on the Lord’s desires, it will be natural that our selfish desires will be replaced with godly ones. We can ask the Lord to place His desires in our hearts, guiding us as we walk with Spirit.
COMMIT
My husband and I are trying to teach our girls about honoring their commitments. They must follow through when they say they will do something or commit. The same is true in our Christian walk. It is a daily commitment, a constant renewal of our hearts and minds to follow Christ. We initially committed to the Lord when we accepted Jesus as Savior, and we must commit to denying ourselves and following Him.
It will not always be easy, and perhaps we will need to re-commit often to a life of self-denial for the gospel's sake, but we know that for those who trust in the Lord, He is faithful in a time of uncertainty.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace on the righteous and unrighteous. Help us to remain focused on what you’ve called your children to do. We ask that we understand that you are the righteous judge. We pray for strength as we trust, delight, and commit to you our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Nghia-Le
Laura Bailey is an author and Bible teacher who encourages women to understand what they believe, why it matters, and how to apply biblical truths to their lives. Her recent book, Embracing Eternity in the Here and Now, explores how the timeless truths of Ecclesiastes help us live more peaceful, purposeful, and plentiful lives today.
She lives in Upstate South Carolina with her husband and three young girls, where she serves as director of women's ministries at her church. Her passion is teaching the Bible to women, equipping them to live with an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at your next event or learn more: www.LauraRBailey.com
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