Do you ever get frustrated, irritated, or agitated? For all those getting ready for family gatherings this week, this message may help! Psalm 37 teaches us how to move from grumbling to gratitude. Verse 1 begins saying, “Do not be agitated….” As we look at this chapter, we’ll see that moving from aggravation to appreciation is a choice. There is a definite progression in this passage. One virtue births another.
Trust
“Trust in the Lord and do what is good…” (v.3). You can’t fret and trust, grumble then say, “But Lord I am trusting you.” You either choose to grumble or you choose to trust God. If you know God, you know you can trust Him. God said do not fret, do not get agitated. We have to choose to refuse. Faith and fretting are mutually exclusive. Where there is fretting, there is no faith, and vice versa. Faith isn’t passive. We also have to do good. Doing good is just as important as trusting in the Lord. Trusting God means leaving God with the things that are beyond your control. The things that you can do, do good. Do right!
Delight
Trust brings delight. Verse 4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” To delight yourself in the Lord means to delight in His word, His will, and His work. The reason why many Christians don’t delight in God, is because they do not know Him very well. They don’t spend time with Him. That word “delight” literally means “to take pleasure in.” What do you take pleasure in? Your career, health, spouse, etc. will pass away. The Lord and His work will not! When you delight in the Lord, your desire will be His desire. Live to please Him and it will set you free from fretting over other people.
Commit
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act…” (v.5). Look at the progression! If you trust, you will delight. If you delight, you will commit. The Hebrew word “commit” literally means, “to roll over.” Some problems only God can solve. When we commit to God, we take the burden off of our own shoulders and roll it over onto Him. When we commit all of our works and all of our ways to the Lord, we are told “and He shall bring it to pass.” Commit your plans to God and leave the results to Him.
Rest
The opposite of agitation is relaxation. You can’t rest in Him if you are not waiting for Him. Verse 7 tells us to “be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him.” Be faithful. Don’t move too quickly. Don’t rush things. Don’t make hasty decisions. Be quiet and patient. Perspective comes when we are still and silent and think it through. Why do we trust God, delight in Him, commit our burdens to Him, and not rest in Him? Because we pick them up again! We have to daily die to self. Rest is a blessing.
Hope
“…Those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land” (v. 9). God has an inheritance for His children (see also v. 11, 18, 22, 29, 34). The wicked have only temporary pleasure on earth, but God’s people have eternal treasure in heaven. There is nothing like the hope of heaven. God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecc. 3:11). Salvation changes your perspective of earth versus eternity. There is more to life than this life. This world is not our home, Heaven is! If your investment is there, your heart is there.
Give
“…The righteous one is gracious and giving” (v. 21). We are in a giving season from Thanksgiving to Christmas, yet, more people commit suicide during this season. It is not that they have more problems, but they feel their problems more. They are more fretful and restless. The church is not a place for ourselves. We are here for those who are not yet here. Live your life in such a way that your life makes a difference. We can make a difference and leave a legacy (v. 26, 28). Yes, it includes your money, but it is more than your money. Give yourself to God. David is the author of this Psalm. In verse 25 he looks back over his life and sees how God has proven Himself over and over – “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.”