Psalm 32, 35-38
Scripture: Psalm 37: 4-7
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Scripture: Psalm 37: 4-7
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.
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!
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
Don't worry about what others are doing. Rest in the Lord's will and trust in Him.
Application: I teach Grade 1. That part about "fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!" can be translated into "just because someone else is doing it and you know it's wrong doesn't mean you should be doing it." It's a never ending conversation while training little people that even if someone else is making a bad decision you have the choice to follow them in their poor decision or choose to do what is right. All too often the temptation to join in the negative behaviour is too great. "But they were doing it!" is the justified excuse and it doesn't work for Grade 1 friends and it doesn't work for us either.
When we "fret" over what someone else is getting away with we lose our focus on what is truly important. Just like a 6 year old who begins to run around in the midst of a pre-recess or post-recess tag game they can lose sight on why running inside a crowded classroom is not a good idea. That is until the inevitable happens and someone falls and gets hurt as they snag their leg on a protruding table or crash into a unsuspecting friend who is standing still. That grade 1 student chose to join in instead of waiting to play tag in the gym or outside. Even the classic excuse "But they were chasing me!" doesn't really support them because if they wouldn't have run, they wouldn't have been chased.
Losing focus in our lives happens just as quickly as it does for 6 year olds. When we see others getting away with things that we know are wrong we begin to question whether it is worth it to do it the right way. However, it is always worth it. When we commit to Christ we can delight in Him and we are brought into a relationship with Him where we can delight in obedience to Him. It's not always easy to obey but when we do we are seeking after what God desires for us. David writes these words even though he has been caught "playing tag in the classroom" and has suffered consequences for his actions. He chose to join in and he got hurt in the process. There is redemption when we fall.
Prayer: Oh Awesome God and teacher. We are often not that different from 6 year olds. We know the rules we know why there are rules and yet we often choose to break them anyway. Thank you for the ability to be forgiven when we purposely choose to ignore your desires and seek to serve ourselves. Guide us and teach us to wait on you and obey in a way that shows your light in this dark world.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage:
3 comments:
Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
This verse stood out for me as well, but for a slightly different reason. At first after reading this, we think that if we put God first He will give us whatever we want, and this translates to me as a monetary gain. But if we truly put God first, will not our desires change from wanting more material possessions to wanting what God desires? And this then ties into what Pam said about resting in God's will and trusting in Him.
We do need to rest in the Lord and trust in Him as both Pamela and Nathan noted.
A verse that stood out to me was - The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; - Psalm 37:23
This verse also ties in with what Nathan was saying about our desires changing and being content with what God has given us, but this verse is talking about the choices we make, and how we will take delight in walking in a way that pleases God.
I think there are 2 ways of looking at the meaning behind Psalm 37:4
1) When we delight in God, our desires begin to parallel His and we will find fulfillment in them. In other words, it's not that He gives us the things we want, but rather that He plants His desires within our hearts so that His desires become our desires.
2) When we delight in God, He gives us the desire of our hearts - which is God Himself. For example - when you're finding delight in a sunset, what do you want to do in that moment? Continue to enjoy the sunset! When we delight in God, what we want is Him, and that is a desire He will always grant!
Post a Comment