Thursday, October 19, 2017, 9:11 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Wait.” Speak, Lord, your words to my
heart. I read Psalm 37:1-15 (NIV).
The Wicked Plot
(vv. 12-15)
The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash
their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows
their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword
and bend the
bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay
those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their
bows will be broken.
Who are the wicked? They are
all those who practice evil, doing wrong to others. They are those who are
immoral, depraved, perverse, and unjust. They are also those who make a practice
of being mean, hateful, cutting, cruel and malicious towards other human
beings. Although they know that God exists, for God has revealed himself to
them through his created works, “they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened… They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and
served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised” (Ro.
1:21, 25).
So, God gave them over to
their sinful ways, to do what ought not to be done. “They have become filled
with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no
mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things
deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve
of those who practice them” (Ro. 1:28-32).
Because they resist God, and
choose to go their own way, instead, they end up hating and resenting those who
do follow the Lord and who live righteously, and thus they plot evil against
them. One of the most prominent plots against the righteous which they scheme
is to try to find ways to bring the righteous down to their level, to convince
them to sin against God and to doubt God’s Word to us, which, of course, comes
straight from hell. They will also try to destroy the reputations of the
righteous through false accusations, or through setting traps in hopes to trip
them up. And, if that doesn’t work, they will persecute them severely and even
put them to death.
Do Not Fret (vv.
1-2, 8-11)
Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be
envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green
plants they will soon die away.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those
who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you
look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy
peace and prosperity.
Even though the wicked plot
and carry out evil against us, we are not to fret (fear, worry). Our God is
completely sovereign over all which he has made. The wicked cannot do what they
do unless God allows it, and for a purpose. Evil only exists because God has
not yet chosen to destroy it. When he does, it will entail the wrath of God
being poured out on the people of the earth. And, then the end will come, and
the righteous will be forever with their Lord, where there will be no more sin,
sorrow, crying or pain. Amen!
Trust the Lord
(vv. 3-7)
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the
land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will
give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him
and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the
dawn,
your
vindication like the noonday sun.
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.
So, what are we to do when
the wicked assail us? We are to trust in the Lord and in his sovereignty,
believing that God knows what is best, that he will carry out his purposes, and
that he will accomplish his will for our lives. Not only are we to trust him
with our lives, even in the direst of circumstances, but we are to delight in
him, commit our way to him, be still before him, and wait patiently for him to
do all that he has promised he would do.
This means that we don’t retaliate
(get even, take revenge), but that we pay back evil with good. We love our
enemies by doing good to them, praying for them, forgiving them, and asking the
Lord to save their souls. Even when people hate and mistreat us, we are kind
back to them. But, kindness also means that we speak the truth in love, for it
is neither loving or kind to ever tell people lies, even if the lies make them
feel good. So, kindness confronts sin in sinful humans, warns of divine
judgment, and calls for repentance.
This also means that we take
our situations to the Lord in prayer, and we commit (entrust, hand over) our
ways to Him. We don’t take action unless directed by the Lord, unless it is
action that he has already directed through his written Word. We let him be our
defense, our counsel and our help, rather than take matters into our own hands.
If we are accused falsely, we ask him how to respond. But, if we blow it, and
we respond in the flesh, then we apologize, we ask for forgiveness, and we lean
on the Lord and on his strength and power to do better the next time a
situation like that arises.
Wait! / An
Original Work / February 8, 2014
Wait for your Lord. Be of
courage.
Be strong, and take heart
today.
God is always watching o’er
you.
Trust Him with your life
always.
Sing of your Lord. Praise His
blessings.
Believe in His sovereignty.
He delivered you from your
sin;
Gave you life eternally.
Rest in your Lord. Know His
promise.
Beneath His wings rest
secure.
Your God has a plan and
purpose.
Let your faith in Him endure.
Trust in your Lord. He’ll not
leave you,
Because He is faithfulness.
He will lead and guide;
protect you.
In His love you can find
rest.
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