The Actions of Psalm 37

Psalm 37: 3-7a (NLT)

3Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

4Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for him to act.

As I was reading this passage the other day, I could not help to notice it was full of actions we should take. There is deeper meaning to each action than what it appears through the first reading. I am going to break it down phrase by phrase.

Trust

Trust in the Lord. Not your church, career or job, your spouse or anyone. Trust in the Lord. Trust is the action of putting your faith in someone or something. This passage says God wants you to trust in Him alone. He is the giver of life, and He is in control of all things. God knows everything about you and if you put your trust in Him, He guide you through life. It is not saying you will not have problems or have dreadful things happen, but if you trust in God, He will be with you through those troubled times. Romans 8:28And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Trust is also not worrying about things. I read somewhere recently worry is an insult to God. I struggle with this a great deal. Thankful God forgives me.

Do Good

This action is other-focused. Yes, we should behave ourselves, but this verse is saying “do good to others.” This makes sense when you read the rest of the verse. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. If you are doing good to others, they are less likely to harm you and more likely want to be your friend.

Take Delight

Have joy in your heart the Lord is with you and knows your needs. Also, be delightful. Other people would rather be around someone who is happy than someone who is complaining. I struggle with this sometimes when I do not feel well, or my chronic pain is acting up. (See my post on https://northwoodsgirlblogging.com/do-not-let-things-rob-your-joy/ )

Commit Everything

Give everything to the Lord even if you think it is too small to matter. Pray about things on your heart. I write in a prayer journal every morning. It is my letters to God. I have been doing this for years. I commit my day to the Lord each morning. It gives me peace knowing God has my back even in the worst of days.

Trust Him

It must be important to trust God since He wrote it twice in this passage. Trust Him and He will help you. Even in your darkest hour you can trust God. The other day at church a guy asked me if I ever thought “What if…” I said no, I know I can trust God. Yet this morning I thought the “what if” about a problem I am having and had to stop myself. God knows our needs and our sufferings we can trust Him to help us.

Be Still

This is the hardest action of all. At least for me. Often, I find my mind distracted, especially when I am tired or have stressful things going on. I know this is true for everyone. Yet in Psalms 46:10 (NLT) “Be still, and know that I am God!” and other passages say to be still. One way to do this is to mediate on God’s Word. I find writing out my thoughts on a certain Bible passage helps me focus. Often, I write in my prayer journal a verse or two to think about. I think, with things, the more you do it the easier it becomes. I am a work in progress on the “be still” part of this passage.

There are other actions in this passage, but these stand out as important to me. Please study the passage yourself to find the actions God wants you to take in your life. They may be different than mine. Just trust, do good, take delight, commit, and be still.

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Take the Lid Off: Trust God, Release the Pressure, and Find the Life He Wants for You
By Smokie Norful / Thomas Nelson

Pastor and Grammy-winning musician Smokie Norful inspires readers to go to God and experience more fulfillment, delight, power, and success than they ever dreamed.

According to Smokie Norful, sometimes our lives feel like a pot of rice in his grandmother’s kitchen: hissing, boiling over, about to explode and create panic. The only way to avoid an explosion is to take the lid off-that is, to stop being trapped inside ourselves and instead look to God and his grace to make us all he intends us to be. Taking the lid off, Norful argues, entails four actions: look inward, experiencing the cleansing of forgiveness and the power of the Holy Spirit; look outward, seeking for others to experience the joy of living for God and have the best God has to offer; look upward and marvel at God’s love and strength to accomplish his purposes; and move onward, devising a strategy to accomplish all God has put in our hearts to do.

When we take these four steps, the pressure goes down, we gain peace and perception, and things work out much better in the end. When we finally take the lid off, we can become the people God has created us to be and do what we were intended to do. We get in touch with the unlimited power of his Spirit, we’re directed by the challenge of his purposes, and we experience the joy of seeing him use us to change lives. All of us need help in taking the lid off in order to trust God, take action, and reach our full potential.

Trust Without Borders: A Study of Psalm 37
By Pamela J. Alexander / WestBow Press

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