Growing Up with the Psalms: (Part III)

THE TRIUMPHANT PSALM

Psalm 37

Today, most people are getting worried about the possibility of surviving our present economic situation. The continuous growth in unemployment, the plunging home values, the declining stock market, fluctuating gas prices, the soaring food costs are just some of the reasons why this feeling of uncertainty is heightened. I even believe that the recent natural calamities in some parts of the world and the ongoing war against terrorism can also worsen our economic situations. With all of these, people are asking, "How can we survive? Is there any hope for us?"

I thank God because He has given us His Word to guide us in times such as the ones we endure today. I find Psalm 37 to be a perfect passage to answer these questions. To give you a little background, this Psalm was written by David when he was personally struggling because of the prosperity of the wicked. He was trying to understand why the people who do not have regard for God seem to be the ones thriving in this world. It seems unfair! But then, through God guidance, he came to some conclusions that this dilemma about the prosperity of the wicked would be straightened out.

Evidently, a more significant theme discussed in the Psalm is how God's people will be triumphant or thrive during their difficult times on earth. The fact is: people who are having difficulty have the greater tendency to compare their lives with other people. However, when we do this, we will always end up being dissatisfied about our lives. In this passage, David will give us three specific commands we need to pay attention to if we want to thrive in this life. Perhaps, it would help us to know that David wrote this Psalm when he was in his old age. You see, his rich experiences confirm his declarations:

Here are the commands:

I     DEPEND IN THE LORD: (vs.1-3; 7-9)

Since the entire Psalm has forty verses, there is no way we can cover all of them in our sermon this morning. I've decided to emphasize several verses that I believe would summarize the truths that King David wants to drive across.

The first command comes from verse 3, "Trust in the Lord." What is significant with this is the fact that God's people are consistently commanded throughout Bible to put our faith in the Lord. The apostle Paul established this truth when he said:

But, what does it mean to live by faith or to trust in the Lord? It has been said that the Hebrew word signifies to take refuge, to depend on, or to lean upon. In other words, to trust the Lord means you are willing to hide in Him in times of your troubles, or you are willing to depend on Him or lean on Him when you realize that you're helpless and weak. Proverbs 3:-5-6 is one of the familiar passages that highlight this truth:

Instead of trusting in our own wisdom or strength, we must learn to depend on the Lord because He is definitely more than sufficient for us. Now, if we truly depend on Him, we show this by doing the following:

A. By Not Fretting: (vs.1-2, 8)

To fret means to be disturbed in the mind or to be worried or troubled. In the text, the Psalmist is addressing this problem of being disturbed by the prosperity of the wicked. As God's people, we are reminded to stop envying them because like the grass they will soon wither. Meaning, their prosperity will be short lived.

You know, when we keep comparing ourselves with other people, Satan would be able to rob us of the joy we can experience in God. In verse 8, there's even a hint of anger or bitterness because of your frustration. We have to stop doing this. If you read Psalm 73, the Psalmist, Asaph, had also struggled with the prosperity of the wicked. But later he came to the right conclusion. This is what he declared:

B. Do Good: (v.3)

While we are depending on the Lord, we have to do our best to live an obedient life that honors the Lord. Why is this necessary? Obviously, God allows His blessings to abound in the lives of those who honor the Lord. Matthew 6:33 speak about his truth:

God's promise is very clear that He will provide us of everything we need when we seek Him first.

C. Be Still and Wait Patiently for Him: (v.7)

In another translation, you find the word Rest instead of be Still. So, to be still before the Lord suggests finding rest in Him in the midst of all the troubles of this world. This is only possible when we believe that He is always in perfect control of all our situations even when we don't understand why we have to go through what we are going through. Of course, coupled with this is our willingness to wait on Him. We have to believe that God is never late, and His timing is always perfect. We should trust Him to accomplish His will according to His own timing.

Are you willing to trust the Lord to the extent that you would let Him work out His best for you according to His own way and timing? Believe me, He is a mighty God who is worthy of our wholehearted trust.

II    DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD: (v.4)

The second command covers an important aspect in our lives, which is happiness. Since we all want to be happy, we need to determine where we base our happiness from. Contextually, the person who is envious of the wicked people because of their prosperity might be thinking that these people are the happiest simply because of their material stuff.

The Psalmist commands us to shift our focus for the basis of our happiness. We need to delight in the Lord. Literally, it means to find our pleasure and enjoyment in the Lord. But how do we really do this? Here are two practical applications:

A. Delight in His Person:

When we have come to appreciate who the Lord is and everything that He has done to us, we won't have difficulty loving and enjoying Him. All of us don't have difficulty hanging out with the people we love. Time and again, you would find David declaring his love and appreciation to God:

Reading these words, you will have a sense that David enjoyed fellowshipping with the Lord who has truly blessed him.

B. Delight in His Precepts:

As Christians, we can never really enjoy the Lord unless we are willing to walk in His commands found in His Word. Obedience is one of the keys in enjoying the Lord:

Unfortunately, there are people who think they can be happier without knowing and obeying God. I won't hesitate to say that this is a big mistake. A life away from God can only lead to absolute disappointments. We all need someone bigger than us to guide and help us in this life.

We all love the second part of the verse, "He will give you the desires of your heart." But, we should realize that the first part serves as a conditional clause for the second. A great commentator, Matthew Henry explains the connection between the two:

"He has not promised to gratify all the appetites of the body and the humours of the fancy, but to grant all the desires of the heart, all the cravings of the renewed sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and live to God, to please him and to be pleased in him."

So, is it your desire to please the Lord? Do you love Him enough to desire the things that will keep you closes to Him? Then, whatever you ask from Him, He will give them to you. Why? Because when you and I delight in the Lord, our prayers will be dictated by the Holy Spirit.

III   DEDICATE YOUR WAY TO THE LORD: (vs.5-6, 23-24)

Last but not the least; we are commanded to commit or dedicate our way to the Lord. The word "Commit" in this verse comes from the Hebrew word Roll. So, we can literally read it as, "Roll your way to the Lord."

This speaks of submission. When we consider the roads before us, there are always our roads and God's. There's always the temptation to think our roads are much better. But, to submit to God means we will only take the roads which we know will please Him. Though these roads are sometimes rough, we can trust Him to guide our steps and help us along these roads. If we do this, God has promised to do two things for us:

A. He will vindicate us:

Verse 6 clearly declares, "He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." Notice the words, light and noonday in the phrase. The Psalmist is simply saying that one day all our righteousness and God's judgment will be brought to the open for all to see. God Himself will show everyone that in life we have taken the right way and He is rewarding us for it. But don't stop here, skip to verses 23 -24.

B. He will make us victorious:

God is absolutely a worthy Master. When we dedicate our ways to Him, He will not only keep us safe along the way (v.23), He also promises to make us victorious (v.24).

Have you ever failed or stumbled in life? I know for a fact that Satan wants us to feel that life is too hard, and there's no way we can make it even if we try our best. Remember, If God is pleased with our life because we are submissive to Him, even when we fail, our failures will never be permanent. He promises to establish us and make our ways firm.

Who among us don't want to be victorious or triumphant in this life? The Psalmist has struggled at first when he saw the prosperity of the wicked, but in the end he realized that faith in God still pays the greatest dividends. The person who depends, delights, and dedicate his or her life in God will ultimately be the winner.

Israel as a nation had often struggled in choosing God and His way. Because of this, they often missed out on God's best. Let me close with these words in Isaiah to remind all of us that God is always the best choice for us: