3/15/12 - Recipe for a Blessed Life

Psalm 37

    Of David.

 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.

 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.

 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.

***

I recently had a conversation with a student about worrying. He told me he was not going to watch the news in the morning anymore. When I asked why, he told me he had seen a report about all the countries around the world that were armed with nuclear warheads. This scared him, and since he did not want to live in fear, the easiest option was for him to simply keep worrisome information from himself. 

Something is wrong here. Is that really our only option? "Life is hard and people are evil; the best way to avoid pain and inconvenience is to bury your head in the sand and hope the bad things are over when you eventually decide to come out."

The Bible tells us something different. Something beautiful.

This passage of Scripture is among the most comforting I have read in my lifetime. Here we see a full picture of God's desire for the Christian: Not ignoring evil, but transcending it through complete trust and reliance on God. How can we do this? Because we understand the fragility and temporal nature of this world. It may be evil, yes. It may be difficult. But this is why Paul so ardently urges us in Colossians to set our minds "on things above, not on things of this world" (3:2). This world is not our home, and we are at rest with Christ firmly at the forefront of our lives. 

The phrase in the beginning of verse 3 of Psalm 37 really sums it up perfectly: "Trust in the LORD and do good." This is the cry of our lives as Christians. Our hope is not in which country has the most warheads to protect us, or in how much "better" the world becomes throughout our lives. Our hope, our lives, our mental state; it's all dependent on Christ. And Christ never fails. 

Reflection Questions:

1. What do you find yourself worrying about in your daily life?
2. What's holding you back from offering that up to God?
3. Is it difficult to trust God sometimes? Why or why not?
4. Are you living your life in daily dependence on God?
5. What's one thing you can change about your life today that reflects your trust in God?
6. Pray with your family that God would teach you how to trust Him more, both together as a family and independently.