May 27 - Psalms 37-39
Back in the summer of 1983 at a camp in Texas, God used Psalm 37:4 to speak His will to my heart, so it is very special to me. Then a couple of years ago, I heard Henry Blackaby teach on this psalm in one of his monthly Bible studies. He pointed out that the message here is "do not fret." That lesson helped me understand this psalm even more. God commands us not to fret, because when we fret our minds are on our problems or on other people. Therefore, fretting keeps us from delighting ourselves in the Lord, so He can give us the desires of our hearts. I pray that you have learned the importance of both of these lessons, too. There is great blessing in keeping our hearts set on the Lord instead of fretting over our troubles.
From reading Psalms 38 and 39 it seems to me that David was going through a time of chastening from the Lord and a time when he realized the brevity of life. In both psalms he confesses that his hope is in the Lord. When we sin, Satan comes to tell us that we are weak, and that we can't do God's will, so we should just give up. We must not listen to Satan's lie. We must listen to the chastening of the Lord, because He chastens the ones He loves. We must always keep in mind that God loves us, and He has great plans for us if we will follow Him. Then, Satan will come and tell us that this life is all there is. He will tell us there is no eternity or no heaven. He tries to make us think that there is no hope. That is His tactic to get us depressed and to cause us to give up, too. The truth is that God has a wonderful inheritance for His children in heaven. We must trust Him and follow Him all of our days here, as brief as they may seem, and then, eternity with Him awaits.
What is your hope today? Who is your hope? Can you say like the popular song, "My hope is in You, Lord?" I pray that you will never allow Satan to drive you to the point of hopelessness and fretting, because these things will rob you of joy and destroy your life. Place your trust firmly in the Lord and look to Him as your Hope.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 40-43.
From reading Psalms 38 and 39 it seems to me that David was going through a time of chastening from the Lord and a time when he realized the brevity of life. In both psalms he confesses that his hope is in the Lord. When we sin, Satan comes to tell us that we are weak, and that we can't do God's will, so we should just give up. We must not listen to Satan's lie. We must listen to the chastening of the Lord, because He chastens the ones He loves. We must always keep in mind that God loves us, and He has great plans for us if we will follow Him. Then, Satan will come and tell us that this life is all there is. He will tell us there is no eternity or no heaven. He tries to make us think that there is no hope. That is His tactic to get us depressed and to cause us to give up, too. The truth is that God has a wonderful inheritance for His children in heaven. We must trust Him and follow Him all of our days here, as brief as they may seem, and then, eternity with Him awaits.
What is your hope today? Who is your hope? Can you say like the popular song, "My hope is in You, Lord?" I pray that you will never allow Satan to drive you to the point of hopelessness and fretting, because these things will rob you of joy and destroy your life. Place your trust firmly in the Lord and look to Him as your Hope.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 40-43.