Here's a great truth that I learned in church yesterday from Psalms 37. I
have built upon the basic truth and added my own thoughts to write this
article...
Psalms 37:3, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
Psalms 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Psalms 37:5, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Psalms 37:6, “And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.”
Psalms 37:7, “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.”
Isn't that precious? How often do we fail to really trust in the Lord, fretting over our problems and worrying about the future. At times we all fail to delight in the Lord. We should commit our way unto the Lord, trusting Him. The Bible tells us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. No matter what problems or concern arises, place it into God's hands by prayer and then rest in the Lord. Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I love that. Clearly, we were not meant by God to understand everything that happens in life. We can still have the blessed peace of God, even though we cannot understand the situation, simply by praying about the matter.
The word “delight” in Psalms 37:4 means “to be pliable, able to led or directed, capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out.” If we'll submit our self to God to obey His Word, then He will direct us. Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”
The word “commit” in Psalms 37:5 means “to roll,” that is, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1st Peter 5:7). It means to confer a trust upon. Every Christian believer ought to “trust,” that is, “place our confidence” in the Lord. As human beings, sinners, we tend to think about our burdens and carry them our self. God wants us to place our confidence in Him, rolling our troubles His way, willing to be led, resting in His care and promises. We do this through prayer. Once we've prayed and placed the burden(s) into God's hands, we need to rest in the Lord, and delight in Him. If we begin to fret and worry, think back to the Scriptures and the promises which God has made. God watches over the righteous and hears our every word in prayer.
The word “rest” means “to stop.” Oh, how we fail to rest in the Lord. We've got a bunch of Catholic oriented Baptists who believe in salvation by grace through faith, yet they fail to trust the Lord from day-to-day as a believer. We trust the Lord for our salvation, but we don't trust Him to handle our troubles, enemies and burdens. We need to stop worrying, stop toiling in vain and stop trying to bear our own burdens. We ought to cast our burdens upon the Lord. As I grow older, I am increasingly learning to just let everything go into the Lord's omnipotent hands. The Lord is omniscient (He knows everything). Whatever happens, as long as I prayed about the matter, I can sleep with the sweet assurance that I am resting in the Lord, and I DID MY PART. I am just a feeble creature, a mere man made from the dust of the earth. I can only be in one place at a time. I can only do a very limited amount to influence the world around me, because of my human limitations. I often wish I had superhuman powers, so I could do so much more to help others, reach the world for Christ, and make a difference. But I am always reminded that God does have all those qualities, and then some! GOD CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
I thank God for the exponential power of influence that the internet provides, but without God's Holy Spirit working in the hearts and minds of my web visitors, all is in vain. Psalms 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” I AM JUST A VOICE! I pray daily for all my web visitors, for God to use the humble labors of my heart and hands for His glory to help others in the Lord. I so much want to be a blessing! I so much want to see Christ formed in my web visitors!
1st Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” Claim that promise! God hears the prayers of the righteous!!! You're never wasting your time when you pray. Prayer works, one way or another, prayer WORKS!!! Even if we pray for just a few seconds, we've invoked all the omnipotent power of our great God. The Bible says that God's ears are OPEN UNTO THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS! The Lord hears us the moment we pray. In fact, Jesus taught that the Father already KNOWS what we have need of before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).
If you're a Christian believer, your name is written in Heaven. Jesus told us to rejoice that our name is written in Heaven, because that is a constant (it never changes). Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” By the way, if salvation could be lost, then we couldn't rejoice that our name is written in Heaven, because it would be a shaky proposition, an uncertainty, a variable factor. The Bible teaches that God PROMISED eternal life before the world began. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” I KNOW that I am saved because God PROMISED to save those that believe. Eternal life is a PROMISE from God. 1st John 2:25, “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” You don't earn, merit or qualify to be saved. Forgiveness of sins is a free gift, already paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19).
Trust, delight, commit and rest. What a beautiful and practical truth. I believe every sermon ought to give the listener something to take home in their pocket, so to speak. There's nothing worse than a dead preacher who lacks substance in his sermons. If a preacher will preach the Word of God, his sermons will never lack substance. TRUST, DELIGHT, COMMIT, and REST. What a great truth! Greatness is always wrapped in simplicity! Are you trusting the Lord for your salvation? If you are saved, are you trusting Him in your daily walk as His child? Don't let the storms of this life and the troubles of marriage, drag you down into the miry quicksand and gutter of life! Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have 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.”
May we all learn from our own mistakes, each time we fail to trust, delight, commit and rest. The apostle Paul said he took revenge on any disobedience in his own life. 2nd Corinthians 10:6, “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” When I mess up, finding myself worrying and making myself more miserable than I need to be, I am reminded of this Scripture, and I determine with the Lord's help not to do it again! God tells us to TRUST in Him, DELIGHT in Him, COMMIT our way unto Him, and REST in Him!!! I've often failed in this area. I used to be a big worrier, over analyzing everything. My troubles were magnified manifold, because of my own fears and being much troubled, carrying all that weight alone on my shoulders. When I reached out for help from others, no one was there for me. Psalms 142:4, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.”
