Psalm 37:1-15 1 Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.2 For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.3 Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. 5Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. 7 Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.8 Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage. Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. 9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. 10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone. 11 The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.
13 But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. 14 The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. (NLT)
Wow! What a great word! This word is so true! One time in my career I got my focus off of God and onto a situation. I was not being treated fairly and instead of trusting in God, to take care of me, and doing my job well I started trying to bring justice to the situation. Let's just say that I could not bring justice to the situation and all I did was start to breed bitterness and discontent instead of joy. Anyone who knows me well, know that I love to smile and laugh and that had disappeared. Finally one day the Lord finally got through to me! I had gone from being a kind and joyful person to being consumed by the person who was at the center of the whole situation and it wasn't pretty.
I was praying and talking to the Lord. I realized that fear was the root of the whole situation and instead of trusting God to protect me and to be my defender, I took my gaze off of Him and placed it on circumstances. I repented of everything to the Lord. Instead of whining and saying, "It isn't fair!" I took responsibility for my part in the mess. I decided that I was going to trust God to take care of me no matter what others did. I was going to go to work and do my job well and look for the gold nuggets in everyone and everything. I was choosing to be grateful. I went and apologized to the person who I felt was at the center of the whole ordeal. He was shocked. I told him that I was sorry for my part and for how I reacted instead of responding. The great news is later he came to know Jesus and we are now friends!
A year after I changed my heart and attitude God totally changed my whole situation! He created opportunities for me that would have normally been impossible! He was able to bless me and elevate me in position at work! When I accepted my new job I called a retired employee and said, "Ken! I am moving and I want you to come to my going away party!" He asked me what my new job was and I told him and his response was, "How in the world did you go from being a range clerk to an Executive Assistant?" My response was, "Ken, Jesus loves me!" He laughed and said, "I know that!"
Today when I read Psalm 37 I was like yes! Just a week ago someone in my family attacked me viciously on Facebook, unprovoked and instead of defending myself and reacting, I prayed and did some preventive measures. I did not participate in her behavior. This morning I read this chapter and I just smiled. It was like, "YES! This is what you are doing for me right now, Jesus!"
So I am a living testimony of God's goodness to his kids. Just trust him to care for you and any situation. Do what is right and be grateful! Focus on Jesus and stand on His promises. His word never fails! He can see everything that is happening and what will happen. He has it all under control and He can do so much more than you ever can! Just trust Him!
Trusting Jesus and walking in joy,
Shanin
