I found myself in a desert, flailing around to find any source of water or any sign of an oasis. But the horizons were bare and my tongue was parched, and He was not near.
I turned to my Bible, knowing, as always that it is not Him that is not near, it is me. So often, I have to remind myself that "I am as close to God as I choose to be" as the sign on the back of my door persistently proclaims. It's not in the least surprising that when I turned to my place in the Word, He was there.
He was there with food and sustenance and life.
Psalm 37 filled me with hope because I have always been a check-listy girl and this psalm fulfilled that need in a very real way:
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.
5 Commit 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.
16 It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
but the Lord takes care of the godly.
18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.
20 But the wicked will die.
The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
they will disappear like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
but those he curses will die.
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will die.
29 The godly will possess the land
and will live there forever.
30 The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
so they will never slip from his path.
32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.
34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
Though I searched for them, I could not find them!
37 Look at those who are honest and good,
for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
they have no future.
39 The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.
*Psalm 37 (NLT) {underlining and bold facing mine}
There's so much in there that gave a spring to my step. And yes, it does look like I only underlined the "good" promises that He is giving in the psalm and I do realize that there are consequences as well as gifts, but what I needed that day was hope. And He gave fully.
Some thoughts:
He's so good at surprising me... did you see that be still in there? Here I was, frantically searching for water when all I had to do was be still and accept what He was waiting to give me. So often, I am so blind.
I find it so wonderful that the Lord laughs. The Lord... the God of creation... Majesty... Glory... Yaweh... Father... Son... Holy Spirit... they laugh! And yes, this is alluding to knowing the evil's future and laughing at how cocky they seem now, but just think about it. Our God is a jovial God... he loves to laugh!
He only gives me strength day by day. More than that, and I would be cocky. I already am... He knew that and so He only provides for today. I whine, I snivel, I complain... but it's for my good. It's so encouraging to think that every day He is waiting to give me the sustenance I need for just one more day.
I often wonder about the seeming incongruity between God the Father and God the Son. How one is Creator and Sustainer, and the other is a close Friend. And yet, He delights in every detail of my life. He enjoys it when I have cute shoes on. When I feel happy about autumn leaves. When I sing my heart out. When I am alive in the purpose that He has given me, in the place that He placed me, among those He has given me.
I am such a little child. I am still learning to walk. I want to be on my own, independent, without any help. But if you see a small baby toddling down the hall, who's right behind them? The parent, obviously. And here's where the analogy breaks down, because I don't think that He ever does stop holding our hands. We never grow out of needing help.
Let me encourage you to "be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act." Who knows what could happen?
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