[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Tuesday, September 17, 2013

[Paul]

Once again for most of you, hello and good day to you all.  I hope and pray that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that your day is going well, went well or about to begin, depending on where in this world you live.

As promised at the end of yesterday's message, we will conclude our look at Psalm 37 with the conclusion of the article by Darrel Lee who is head of the Apostolic Faith Church in Portland, OR.

Commit

The third step of the conquering man is to _commit.  We read in verse 5:  "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." The word translated _commit means "to roll together." So, when David said, "Commit thy way unto the Lord," he was saying that we are to roll our ways together and cast them all on the Lord.

In the New Testament, we find instruction to cast all our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us (see 1 Peter 5:7).  So whether our way is presently a good way or one that is more challenging, we want to roll it all up together and hand it over to God.  We want to relinquish our own ways, and allow God's way to be our way.  We commit everything to Him.  We dedicate ourselves to God and to His service, and let Him choose our paths.  As we do so, we are taking another step to be that strong man, that one who overcomes.

We talk about victory in the Gospel.  Certainly the concept of an eternal reward for the righteous suggests victory, but victory in the Gospel is more than victory at the end of the battle.  It is victory during the battle.  In this same psalm, David said, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).  If we are serving God, we never need to hang our heads as if defeat is impending.  This is a way of warfare, but it is always a way of victory as we serve the Lord.  We will never lose if we commit it all to Him--if we roll our ways up together and put them on the Lord.  In verse 28, David asserted that God "forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved forever." We are preserved in the care of God, not only now but forever.

Rest

The fourth step is to _rest.  In verse 7 we find these words:  "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." To rest is to keep silent.  The opposite of resting is to be agitated, anxious, and fretful.  Have you ever tried to relax in a hurry? Perhaps you only have a short time and you know you need to relax.  So quick, relax! That does not work out so well, does it? Resting in the Lord implies a need to cease from activity for a spell, and wait patiently for Him.

God tells us in His Word, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).  The conquering man will pause long enough to hear the voice of God and act accordingly.  That is a step we must take.  A few verses prior to verse 10, it says, "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved." The circumstances were in upheaval all around the writer of this psalm, but God commands, "Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." We find assurance in the fact that "the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (verse 11).  No wonder we can rest in the Lord! "Evildoers," we read in Psalm 37:9, "shall be cut off:  but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth." So we wait patiently for the Lord to show up, knowing that He has never been late.

Cease

The last step is to _cease.  The psalmist instructs us, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:  fret not thyself in any wise to do evil" (Psalm 37:8).  Frustration can lead to fretfulness and even anger at our circumstances.  Such anger is destructive and reflects a lack of confidence in the fact that God is in control.  We must forsake such an attitude with firm resolve, and concentrate on God's goodness.

We read in the last two verses of this psalm, "The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord:  He is their strength in the time of trouble.  And the Lord shall help them and deliver them:  He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him." Rather than allowing ourselves to be frustrated by trials or the circumstances of life, let us purpose to follow the steps outlined in this psalm, believing that we will be able to triumph through the challenges of life because "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." Spiritual warfare certainly exists, but it is a warfare that comes with victory as we let our steps be ordered by the Lord/

Today, look God's way and trust in His resources to buoy your spirit and send you forth on a march toward victory.

And there you have Brother Darrel Lee's article in its entirety, if in fact you saved both parts.  To me, it truly ministered to my spirit.  I don't know about you, but this Psalm 37 is my second favorite of all the other 149 psalms, with that familiar Psalm 23 being my personal favorite.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul