PSALM‬ ‭37‬:‭1‬-‭40‬ ‭‬


“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. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming. The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right. But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich. For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough. But the wicked will die. The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field— they will disappear like smoke. The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers. Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing. Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever. For the Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die. The godly will possess the land and will live there forever. The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them. But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial. Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them! Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace. But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble. The Lord helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.”
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Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭1‬-‭40‬ ‭NLT‬

A great promise in scripture is that God will give us our hearts desire. What is often left out of this verse is the premise that we desire him. When we desire him, he will give us what we desire. This is a key point between the wicked and the godly. The wicked desire everything without God. Because of this they end up setting themselves against everything. The Godly desire God, because of this, everything works in their favor. This isn’t to say that there isn’t injustice. Half of David’s psalms are about injustice being perpetrated upon him. Rather, it is to say that everything is proper aligned. The world is working correctly. This is true physically as much as it is spiritually. When these things are working properly, desired outcomes are more achievable. Beyond this, certain promises are assured. A wicked man can only be assured of judgment. He can only be assured of destruction. A godly man can be assured that judgment and destruction will be just and work to his favor, if not physically, then spiritually. This is one of the reasons why the wicked do not wait on God. They only have the tangible now. Their present is the only certain thing that can be positive. Their future is set aside for certain destruction. This is why God mocks their plans and why godly people are willing to wait on him. They feel certain of vindication. When we encounter the wicked, we need not fear them because their wages will be paid to them, and their schemes will be undone.


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