Friday, February 18, 2022
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. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and
prosper. Take delight in
the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to
the Lord. Trust him, and he will
help you. He will make your
innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like
the noonday sun. 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. For the wicked will be
destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will
live in peace and prosperity. Psalm
37:1-11
God’s plans for us are always good, despite the difficulties
we may encounter. The problem with human
critters’ comprehending that is our perspective of “good”
runs far short of God’s perspective. Mostly
we want everything to be what WE want, rather than what
God has determined is good. For instance:
· living safely in the
land and prosper(ing), can only mean no problems/bigger bank accounts.
· Trust him, and he
will help you, can only mean put God on probation, and go with
his plan as long as it suits you.
· Don’t worry about
evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes, can only mean God’s
only doing his job as long as the bad guy gets his comeuppance, and I get to
rub it in his face.
· The lowly will
possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity, can only mean I’m getting a promotion over the other guy (who also prayed, but God likes me better than him).
So, what is the Psalmist saying about trusting God in the
long haul of living? He is saying exactly
what he said – trust God.
That includes the mountain of trials, and events you face which make
little sense to you.
In order to see the truth of God’s plans for you unfold,
it is sometimes a long-haul. And some of
it you will not see, because you’ve planned an outcome that is light years away
from God’s thoughts. God already told us
that through the prophet:
“My thoughts are
nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you
could imagine. For just as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and
my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
For You Today
In trusting God
today (and tomorrow, and all the following tomorrows), make sure to take a deep
breath over what that means. Because it means
becoming like a small child[1] with everything
you see and think, placing your little hand in God’s big hand…and following. It means stop the leading; it’s not
your job.
Now…isn’t that
better?
You chew on that as
you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
[1] Title and other images: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
[1] See Matthew 18:3-4
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