Devotionals
Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way. Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger; and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm.
Psalm 37:1-9
How many times do we see others moving forward and you seem to be standing still, stalled?
Does it seem that they are living the “dream” while you still dream?
Does it appear that those people who get ahead dishonestly are getting away with it while you try to do everything right, and go nowhere?
Have you ever found yourself asking, “Where are the police when you need them?” because someone just cut you off, then cursed at you, while you were doing nothing wrong?
I can remember a time—and it wasn’t long ago—when I watched everyone around me buying new cars, while mine remained battered; buying large houses, while I remained in my tiny one and desperately needed more space; getting better jobs, while my husband couldn’t find any job; and the list goes on. Everyone around me was moving ahead. Lifelong dreams were being fulfilled, bonuses were being paid, and inheritances were collected and on it went.
I found myself complaining in my heart. I became depressed. I began to listen to my nemesis tell me that I am invisible and will always be.
I also found myself, at the bottom of the barrel, squeaking out the words, “Jesus, help!”
That is when I picked up my Bible and began to rifle through the pages, reading bits here and there; and my eyes fell on this Psalm. My heart lit up, and I knew it to be Truth speaking.
I normally use the NKJV Bible for everything, but today I wanted to read the way The Message Bible expressed it. I’d like to share it with you:
“Don’t bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.
Get insurance with GOD and do a good deed, settle down and stick to your last. Keep good company with GOD, get in on the best.
Open up before GOD, keep nothing back; He’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.
Quiet down before GOD, be prayerful before Him. Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top.
Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
I love some of those descriptions. “Open up with GOD, keep nothing back.” To me, this says, “Don’t keep your frustration bottled up. You can talk to God about it, let Him know exactly how you feel. The New Testament tells us to cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us. This is great!(see 1Peter 5:6,7)
“He’ll validate your life.” Tells me that we don’t have to scratch, whine and wail to get noticed.
There’s so much more to this. However I want to end with this illustration:
In the movie “Flywheel” the main character, Jay Austin lives life for himself. He cheats others and neglects his family, until one day he overcharges a pastor when selling a car. The pastor gains permission to pray for Jay and asks God to bless Jay as he has blessed the pastor. Immediately you see Jay’s eyes open and he’s visibly nervous. I can imagine his thinking, “What, bless me the way I’ve blessed this man? Awe nuts! That’s not good. I hope God doesn’t answer this prayer, but he’s a pastor and God usually listens to pastors doesn’t he?” Talk about instilling the fear of the LORD...and I'm not sure the pastor knew he had been cheated.
Anyway, that prayer began a domino effect of events that changed Jay’s life, his business and his family. Everything crumbled around him that was built on lies and cheating, and in the midst fresh substance was built around his life that was based in truth and love. God did defend him in the end, and validated his life, while the others who refused to change with Jay ended up having even their integrity exposed as evil before the public.
This is a perfect example of God’s stamp of approval being placed on you at high noon. High noon is the brightest time of day. There are no shadows so there is nothing hidden.
The NKJV says“He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
Think about it, your righteousness being as the light and your justice as the noonday, exposing and dispelling darkness of every sort.
Thank You LORD for Your faithfulness to us, Your people in all things.
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Thanks for this great piece. The inclusion of Psalm 37 adds beauty. God bless. Amen.
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