Wow! We are now at part three of this series. How are you doing? Is this helping you at all? Please leave a comment and let me know! Let’s finish our tour of Psalm 37.
Verses twenty through twenty-five states: 20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
Someone probably borrowed from you, whether it was monetary, an item or even your trust. But now, they have every excuse not to give it back. They stole from you. Just know that God will repay you.
Show them mercy. Why? You are already blessed. You will receive what was stolen from you from God. He will deal with the thief.
In these trials, watch your actions. God orders everything good. He is elated when we follow Him and accept the path he has provided. However, we are only human. We make mistakes.
But God has not forsaken us. We will make mistakes in these trials. Just look to God, repent, and He will take you down the right path. As we go through life, just know God is blessing us. He is merciful.
I had a dream, years ago, that lines up with verse twenty-four: Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. It also lines up with Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The dream occurred just after my husband sobered up, but the loss of family disowning us was still fresh, since it occurred about a month or two earlier. One daughter stopped speaking to me completely and the other was angry, but cordial. Here is the dream:
I am entering a pathway from darkness. It is outside, sunny. The path is muddy and narrow (in fact, so narrow, I was walking with one foot in front of the other, like a tight rope). Both sides of the path are black, dirty, murky waters, with crocodiles on either side. There is a man, looks like Crocodile Dundee (those of you who knows 80s movies will know the reference). I realized he was Jesus. He stated, ‘hold onto me.’
‘Even if you slip, you won’t fall in, as long as you are holding Me, I will keep you safe.’ I held His hand, other times it was the back of His shirt, and even rode on his back on other occasions. I saw my youngest daughter (the one who was still speaking to me). She was with friends at the other side of the water’s edge, at a black tree with no leaves. She was following what her friends said and she fell in the water. The crocodiles attacked and killed her. I started to go toward her, but Jesus said, ‘Stop. There is nothing you can do for her.’
‘She followed their example, and this is what happens when you don’t follow me’. In utter despair, I continued down the path, slipping a lot. It was strange, because even though my feet touched the water when I slipped, the crocodiles could not hurt me, because I was holding onto Jesus. They tried biting and attacking, but nothing happened. We continued on the path, and it continued to become more and more slippery. We rounded a corner at a thick bush…then I woke up.
When trials happen, it’s easy to just give up, and cave. We may find ourselves slipping into old habits and desires. It may be easier to lash out and come out swinging.
That is falling. Backsliding. But you know what? It happens. Don’t beat yourself up. Repent. See Proverbs 24:16.
Psalm 37:26-32 says: 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28 For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.
Mistakes happen. We are not perfect. And we are not expected to be, especially in our tribulations. But God expects us to repent and continue to move forward. He loves us. God will deal with the evildoers anyways. Even when you have fallen, he won’t leave you behind. He will still bless you.
Verses thirty to thirty-one states: The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
Wisdom. When you’re in the midst of your anguish, is wisdom utilized? Or do you react to emotion? I will raise my hand here.
I have reacted so many times on emotion, it’s ridiculous…too many times to count. That’s part of the reason my husband gave up on me. It is hard to NOT speak in emotion, and even harder to speak with wisdom in the moment. But we, as righteous people, are called to speak with wisdom. This takes thought and preparation. Too many times though, we don’t have time for that, or do we?
There is an old saying that says we should think before we speak or act. When we react to emotion, it becomes a weapon and slays everything around us, doing more harm than intended. When you pause and think, your words will have thought and meaning, which will produce wisdom and just words. This is a form of love, because you are intentional on bringing the correct words to the person and this shows that you have written God’s law in heart. You won’t make mistakes in your words and slide down the wrong path if you think before you speak.
Always be watchful for the enemy though. He is also watching you, to find a way to blame you for anything and everything. When he sees you make a mistake, he will do everything he can to destroy you. But, stayed prayed up, because God will protect and not let you be harmed.
In the midst of the trial, one of the hardest things to do is wait. But that’s what God says.
Verses thirty-three through forty says: 33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless man and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
Stay in His presence, do good as you are supposed to, and WAIT. When you are obedient in the waiting, He will deliver you out of the enemy hands and bless you. God will show you when the enemy has been destroyed, there won’t be any denying that it was God.
Verses thirty-five to thirty-six says, ‘I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.’
The enemy seems to be all powerful and may even have stuff on you that can destroy everything about you, because he doesn’t let go of the past. He makes himself so familiar in the bad, or your past, you may think that nothing can cut him down. However, with God, all things are possible. God will destroy the enemy. Once God moves that mountain, you won’t be able to find anything from the past that will destroy you, not even a stain.
Pay close attention to the blameless and look carefully at those walking in God’s ways. That person has complete peace, because they stay in God’s presence. But watch for those who do evil will be destroyed and whatever their future will be no more. For verse thirty-seven to thirty-eight says; Mark the blameless man and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
At the end of this Psalm, it says: But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
In other words, your salvation is from God. He is your strength when times are hard. He will help and deliver you out of chaos and evil. Just Trust God.
Wow! We finally finished Psalm thirty seven. But, it was worth it. There was so much to discover in this scripture. We must remember to show mercy, even to those who are against us. When we make mistakes and slip into old habits, just repent. But, don’t give up in this trial. You will be full of emotion, but wisdom says to careful with your words and actions; think before you speak or act, because your words can be weapons and destroy.
When you think before reacting, you are acting in love. Remember, the enemy is waiting for you to slip up, so stay in God’s presence and wait for God to take care of the situation. With God, all things are possible, even when it seems there is no way out of this. Look for mentors that have complete peace and follow God whole heartedly. They can help you stay strong in this trial. Remember, God is your salvation, strength and deliverer. Trust Him to see you through this.
Keep an eye out for Part Four. Until then, stay blessed and I will see you soon.
