By: Abi Burton
Psalm 37: 1-7
“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”
I have been thinking a lot about being satisfied and appreciating all that I have; not just looking to what is next. For me, this passage in Psalms is basically describing success as God sees it; not in the way the world judges, but as we are meant to measure it.
A couple of things really stand out to me:
1) This is about the long term
2) Don’t compare yourself to others
The psalmist writes “wait patiently” and “don’t worry”; those things that others have that you want (promotion, nice clothes, fancy cars) “soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.” He’s not saying they aren’t attractive; just like spring flowers they are beautiful and attention grabbing. He’s also probably not saying that we can’t enjoy them if we have them in our lives. But the challenge is not to make them the focus – if being able to acquire the ‘spring flowers’ is what drives us forward then we are missing the bigger picture; those things are temporal but what God has for us, if we choose to take it, is eternal.
The second thing that jumps out at me from this passage is that when it comes to you, God is interested in you. His plan for you is uniquely yours. If you “trust in the Lord and do good then you will live safely in the land and prosper”. If you “take delight in the Lord” then “He will give you your heart’s desires.” This plan is tailor made for you! God knows exactly what makes you tick, your heart’s desires, and His plan is to fulfill them in your life. The only premise is to trust Him- but who greater to trust than God himself? His plan for my live is certainly greater than anything I could have dreamed up for myself.
So focus your attentions on that which lasts – the success that God brings has greater value than just the spring flowers:
“He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”
What an incredible promise; only made possible by the one who created both in the first place.
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