The Beautiful Delight of Trust

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I wanted to share with you some of my observations from Psalm 37:1-11, the text for tonight's Young Careers small group lesson. The psalm is one of the most relevant teachings on trust for our day and times. You may notice that a lot of my postings have dealt with the issue of trust and perhaps that is due to the fact that the process of Growing Young is to regain (or develop) a childlike trust in God. He is Abba, "Daddy" a good and faithful Father who is pleased to care for His children. Yet we, His children, are seemingly always so hesitant to trust Him with the important things of life -- our finances, our family, our safety, our security, etc. Here's Psalm 37:1-11:

Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger, and turn from wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD will inherit the land.

Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Notice anything about this passage that stands out?

I can see a few things. First of all, it is filled with commands. Almost every couplet! Don't fret, trust, Delight, Commit, Be Still, Refrain, Turn, Wait. Wow, it's almost overwhelming! Two commands are repeated more than once in this passage: "Trust" (2x) and "Do not fret" (3x). The two just happen to be closely related. One leads the the absence of the other. When a person frets, he or she does not trust. And when a person trusts, he or she does not fret. Fretting and Trusting do not go together. They are like oil and water — an insoluble solution.

What else stands out?

I see a lot of conditional promises from God to those who follow His commands. Let's explore a few.

• "Trust in the Lord and do good" — when a person trusts in the Almighty protection of a sovereign God, he or she can rest in safety. Why? Because they know someone with more power, more insight, and more love is looking out for them.
  
• "Delight yourself in the Lord" — when you seek to please the Lord with your life, He will bless you with all that you need to be pleased in this life. Notice I say "to be pleased." It doesn't take a million dollars, a shiny new car, or a big house to please a God-follower. Because our focus is on pleasing God and not ourselves. Ans as a result of our focus, we find pleasure and delight in the little things. Like the laugh of a baby, the frolicking of birds in a streetside puddle, or just simply sitting across the table from a brother or sister in Christ.
• "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath" — getting angry at things out of your control is a sure way to burn up and alienate yourself from everyone you hold dear. It does no good.
• "Do not fret" — why? It leads only to evil (or, sin). To worry (another word for fret) is a path of sin? When we worry we do not trust. We don't trust in God, we don't trust in our spouse, we don't trust anyone or anything. Anxiousness (yet another word for fret) leads to sin. And keeps a person from being close to God and close to the ones they love. Jesus said worry does not fit a Kingdom mindset. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? (Matt 6:25)"
  

God is in the process of taking care of affairs in this world. When we choose to trust in Him for our finances, our housing, our marriage, and our security, we will find that worry and anxiety will cease. We no longer have the burdens squarely on our shoulders. Our burdens are on His!

Do you trust Him enough to take those burdens away from you and handle them? God will take care of your finances. He will make sure you have what you need for life and health and godliness. But do you trust Him to provide? Will you delight in Him and stop worrying? Can you take a deep breath and relax?

Can you?

Be God's.

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