Psalm 37 – “Don’t worry about the wicked or envy
those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers,
they soon wither” (37:1-2).
Seek your
happiness in the Lord; give yourself to Him and trust in Him. Be patient and
wait for Him to act. Don’t give in to anger or worry.
“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. Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm” (37:7-8).
“It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered”
(37:16-17).
“The Lord directs
the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they
stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (37:23-24).
The psalmist
says he is old now and he’s never seen good people abandoned by the Lord. The
Lord “loves what is right and does not abandon his faithful people” (37:28).
Psalm 38 – “Oh Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage! Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are
crushing me . . . My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to hear”
(38:1-4).
This seems a very personal
cry to the Lord from David. “I am
exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart. You
know what I long for, Lord; you hear my every sigh . . . My loved ones and
friends stay away, fearing my disease. Even my own family stands at a distance.
Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me” (38:8-11). David’s enemies gloat
over his distress and his pain. People hate him for what he sees as “no
reason,” because he tries hard to do what is right. But he will continue to
trust in God. He knows God will answer his prayers at some point.
“I am waiting
for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God” (38:15).
“I am on the
verge of collapse, facing constant pain. But I confess my sins; I am deeply
sorry for what I have done” (38:18).
“Do not
abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God” (38:21).
Psalm 39 – He talks about how careful he has been to
not sin in what he says when the
ungodly are around him. But this restraint has now brought him to feel he must
speak out, and this impulse to speak out
has something to do with his transience on this earth.
“Lord, remind
me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how
fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you at best, each of us is but a breath”
(39:4-5).
“What, then,
can I hope for, Lord? I put my hope in
you” (39:7).
He begs the
Lord not to punish him any more. He is “only [the Lord's] guest for a little while”
(39:12). So he asks God to “leave [him] alone so that [he] may have some
happiness” (39:13). I don’t think I have ever felt this. All the happiness I
have comes from the Lord NOT leaving me alone.
James 4 – Where do the conflicts among
Christians come from? They come from “evil desires” (4:1) that lie under the
surface. You should not seek to make the
world your friend. This love of the world and its pleasures is a kind of
adultery.
He
addresses an array of social problems in the community: wavering faith,
being nearer to “man” than to God, slandering, condemning the law, being intent
on worldly plans and not putting things up to God first.
“So
humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come
close to God, and God will come close to you” (4:8).
Do
not judge others or speak evil of one another (4:11). And do not succumb to blind self-confidence.
No comments:
Post a Comment