Commit Your Way

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

As I mentioned yesterday, we will be focusing on various stanzas of Psalm 37 for the next few days. I've included the entire psalm in the reading; but today, we'll center our thoughts primarily on verses 5-7.

1        Do not fret because of those who are evil

    or be envious of those who do wrong;

2        for like the grass they will soon wither,

    like green plants they will soon die away.

3        Trust in the LORD and do good;

    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4        Take delight 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.

7        Be still before the LORD

    and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8        Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

    do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9        For those who are evil will be destroyed,

    but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10      A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

    though you look for them, they will not be found.

11      But the meek will inherit the land

    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12      The wicked plot against the righteous

    and gnash their teeth at them;

13      but the LORD laughs at the wicked,

    for he knows their day is coming.

14      The wicked draw the sword

    and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

    to slay those whose ways are upright.

15      But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

    and their bows will be broken.

16      Better the little that the righteous have

    than the wealth of many wicked;

17      for the power of the wicked will be broken,

    but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18      The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,

    and their inheritance will endure forever.

19      In times of disaster they will not wither;

    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20      But the wicked will perish:

    Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21      The wicked borrow and do not repay,

    but the righteous give generously;

22      those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,

    but those he curses will be destroyed.

23      The LORD makes firm the steps

    of the one who delights in him;

24      though he may stumble, he will not fall,

    for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

25      I was young and now I am old,

    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

    or their children begging bread.

26      They are always generous and lend freely;

    their children will be a blessing.

27      Turn from evil and do good;

    then you will dwell in the land forever.

28      For the LORD loves the just

    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

    the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29      The righteous will inherit the land

    and dwell in it forever.

30      The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

    and their tongues speak what is just.

31      The law of their God is in their hearts;

    their feet do not slip.

32      The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

    intent on putting them to death;

33      but the LORD will not leave them in the power of the wicked

    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34      Hope in the LORD

    and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35      I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36      but he soon passed away and was no more;

    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37      Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

    a future awaits those who seek peace.

38      But all sinners will be destroyed;

    there will be no future for the wicked.

39      The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;

    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40      The LORD helps them and delivers them;

    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

    because they take refuge in him. (Psalm 37, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will act” (verse 5). What will God do? He will act. He will act on your behalf. He will act on my behalf. The living God will move and work to bring about the desires of our heart. He will “bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday” (verse 6). He will bring to pass the thing that does the most good in our lives and that brings the most glory to his name.

Verses 5-6 contain a powerful promise. They encourage our hearts and strengthen our faith. We would be wise to memorize these verses, so that we might call them to mind in times of struggle, confusion and doubt.

I'm assuming that there is something in your life you would like God to do. Maybe something you've been thinking about, dreaming about, and praying about. If God is going to act on our behalf—if God is going to accomplish things for us and in us and through us—we must follow the psalmist's advice.

We must commit our way to the Lord. This is a definite act of our will. We don’t commit it to the Lord and then take it back, any more than a farmer plants his seed and then keeps digging it up to see if it’s growing! Committing our way to the Lord is an act of the will, an act of faith. We make our way his way, and we make his way our way.

We must trust God. What does it mean to trust God? It means we must place our confidence in him to act on our behalf. It means we must believe his promises, that we must take them into our lives and hold fast to them. It means that we cling to the idea that he is such a wonderful God that he always can be trusted. We trust people because of their good character or performance. It's the same with God—only God’s character is perfect, and his record is perfect. He can be trusted!

We must wait on the Lord. Now, this is undoubtedly the hardest piece of advice to embrace. For most of us, waiting is incredibly hard. Our culture values action and we've been trained throughout our life to do stuff. So, when we are told to “wait for the Lord,” our mind races with questions: When will God act? How will he act? Should I do anything to help move God along? This is why David adds, “Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him” (verse 7). Martin Luther translated this verse: “Be silent to God, and let Him hold thee.” I like that. Just rest in the Lord. Wait for him. He’s working in you and on you while he’s working for you. Commit, trust, and wait, and he will act on your behalf. (Earlier in the year I wrote a devotional on waiting for the Lord. If you're interested in re-reading it, click here.)

POINT TO PONDER:

What would you like to see God do in your life? Start by aligning your will with his. Commit your way to him, trust him, and wait on him. God is working for you. In his time he will accomplish his work.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and today's focal verses are an answer to prayer. Earlier this year, when I was in Maine with Kate, I was crying out to God, seeking his guidance and direction. I was feeling incredibly unsettled, uncertain, and confused. One afternoon while I was in prayer, I was flipping through the Psalms and came across this prayer of David. The message of the entire psalm spoke powerfully to my heart, but verses 3-7 caused my heart to flood with peace. I wasn't given any clear cut answer or direction, but I was given exactly what I needed: peace that comes from the knowledge that God is in control. I'm still searching for answers, and I still don't have all the clarity that I desire, but my heart is resting in the truth that God not only loves me but has a plan for my life. And, when it your heart is struggling with uncertainty, it's a beautiful and life-giving thing to know that God cares.