Psalm 37

I often tell people that one of my greatest successes on this earth was my ability to trick my wife into marrying me, and a close second to that was when I became a father. My wife and I have four children now, and each of them, being uniquely created, are beautiful gifts from our great God.

I love being a daddy. I have four opportunities to sharpen arrows with straight shafts so that when they are released, they hit their targets. The task is not easy, and many times I feel like I failed because there are not enough hours in the day to be a husband, a father, a coach, a pastor, and the many other things that our world calls on us to be for others. 

Being up for the challenge to grow and to guide my children, I decided to stop trying to force more into our hectic schedule and shift my focus to speaking into the teachable moments. Those moments seem to be often given our current climate. 

I often tell my children, “Cheaters never prosper,” or “It’s always better to be honest,” but in today’s world those statements could be perceived as false for the young minds, and even for the believers who struggle to wait on the Lord.

Psalm 37 is a hymn written by David that addresses a common problem caused when godless people prosper, and I believe it offers guidance for us in this modern world that seems to be spinning out of control.

I challenge you to read through the entire chapter, but I would like to make three observations to provide a snapshot of David’s writing:

1. Do not be envious of wrongdoers. 

– “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will  soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” (v. 1-2)

– “ Fret not yourself because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked.” (Pr. 24:19)

2. Commit your way to the Lord.

– “Commit your way; trust in Him and He will act.” (v. 5)

3. The wicked will perish.

– “But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; the vanish – like smoke they vanish away.” (v.20)

What we learn through David’s hymn is the importance of our waiting on the Lord’s timing. Of course we can look around us and point to examples where it would appear that evil has won a battle, but the endgame is in fact that the cheaters never really do prosper.

Blessings.