Wednesday Devotions, Psalm 37

On Strike, 1891
Sir Hubert von Herkomer

Today's Text: Psalm 37, selected verses

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

I got troubles, yes I do. I got troubles, how 'bout you? 

Yeah, we all have troubles. At times it may seem like yours are the worst on the block, but this is rarely true.

Two of my children have very serious problems and two more have minor problems. 

In the aftermath of a 2009 job loss, I've been sued by a creditor and there's a judgement against me. I can no longer have a bank account; if so, it will be attached. My husband will soon be sued by his creditor. Within months--because we don't choose to file bankruptcy at this juncture--his wages will be attached. Our house payment just went up $30 because of higher taxes and a higher insurance rate. 

We have little family or friend support; we live a very unusual life that people don't quite understand. We're the only family in our church that homeschools, for one thing. And when you're impoverished, people stay away from you. They wonder if it will rub off on them, perhaps? People are afraid of what they don't understand.

The toilets are still not fixed, the lawn mower just broke, two drawers in the kitchen are broken, the car and van are extremely old and things go wrong with them fairly frequently, and the list goes on.

Yeah, I got troubles. But not because God doesn't love me. Not because he's forgotten me. He has a plan to prosper me spiritually. 

Keys to Surviving Troubles: 

1. Focus on the spiritual. If you don't have spiritual troubles, you're doing well. 

2. When your mind wants to grumble, give thanks instead. It starts as a mental exercise but quickly becomes a heart exercise. It changes you on the inside, for good.

3. Don't feel unloved because of troubles. God doesn't hate you. If you're a believer you're set for eternity. This life is like a vapor; hold it loosely. That includes your troubles--loosen your mental grip on them.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Even when things go from bad to worse, trust God. He'll use it for your good. A worsening of trouble is rarely a sign that God isn't listening. Troubles, in fact, help you loosen your grip on this world. And that's always a good thing. 

Dwell with him (stay very close), do good for others, and enjoy your spiritual safety. Delight in the Lord through song, Scripture, prayer. He will put his desires in your heart, and then grant them.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Give every aspect of your life over to the Lord--parenting, money, friends, marriage, jobs, family, possessions--give it all to him. Dwell not on your understanding, for it's terribly short-sighted and flawed. Make a list of what the world loves. Make sure you don't love any of it.  Live not as the world lives, and he will make you shine.

7 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.

Fretting is a sin...the opposite of being still. Don't dwell on all the people who have it "better" than you. Make a blessing list instead, so you can be still. 

Remember these key verbs from the verses above: trust, dwell, delight, commit, wait

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret —it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

Right now, I probably have reason to be angry and fretful.

Beth's arthritis-related eye inflammation did come back, though not as serious this time. She has to start on steroid drops again. The inflammation can come and go for years and years, especially when it starts this young. The doctor feels he can save her vision ( he's a famous ophthalmologist and all, but he's not God. Nevertheless, I choose to believe him.) He said the worst that might happen is that she'll get cataracts from repeated use of steroid drops. And cataracts are treatable.

She also has wandering eyes (strabismus) and will need glasses for astigmatism. (Unrelated to her arthritis) Glasses might take care of the strabismus, and if not, he'll try a patch. If necessary later, he will do surgery--something he's world-famous for.

Peter's OCD improved when we increased his Strattera dose to 18 mg. However, it's obvious now that the increase from 10 mg to 18 mg (both doses are lower than recommended for his weight) have caused mood swings. So, we need to go back to 10 mg. Hello OCD again. The OCD really bothered his spirit, but he wants to be free from this anger. We're stuck between a rock and a hard place. The anger is obviously unhealthy for the whole family.

My husband gets more and more angry with each new problem. His spirit is tormented. But he knows this life is a vapor. He'll return to relative peace once again. It's hard to see him so angry, but I can only pray in response, and listen quietly while he vents. Everybody processes life differently.

Whatever happens, don't hold on to anger. It may show up as a grief symptom, but process it quickly. Pray to be free of it.

Our hope is in eternity...in the Lord. Not here. Things will improve here, perhaps, but they'll just get tough again. Don't wait for things to "calm down". Live fully right now. Live like you've just inherited the land.

The rest of these verses are not in order, for brevity sake, and I've left many out.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

No matter how bad things get, you are indeed under the Lord's care. Through him, you will not wither. You will enjoy plenty.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

He is upholding you. You've not fallen, and you won't fall.

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.[b]

He will provide. But maybe not in the usual ways...and that has to be okay with you. Trust him for your daily bread and be generous. Even the poor can be generous, if they know from Whom all things come.

34 Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Prayer Time: 

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for this Psalm. I thank you for upholding, delivering, saving. I thank you for the inheritance of the land. For the safe pasture. For the refuge. For the plenty.

Some readers are having horrible troubles as well. Help us all to trust, dwell, delight, commit, wait, and hope. Help us to refrain from anger and fretting. May we live in joyful hope, abiding in you. Help us to do good and be generous.

In your name I pray, Amen.