Great Is Thy Faithfulness

He has it all worked out.

And whatever He does, it will be good.

Dwell in the land,

stay put.

Enjoy Safe Pasture

David goes on to say, "enjoy safe pasture"

like a sheep, enjoy feeding where the Good Shepherd had put you.

He has put you in this particular pasture...

because it is best for you.

You may not realize all the reasons,

you may not be able to see the big picture,

But God can, and He has you right where He wants you...

so enjoy safe pasture.

Delight Yourself in the Lord

David doesn’t say...

"delight yourself in the things of the world"

or "delight yourself with material things"

or "delight yourself by pursuing earthly pleasures"

but "delight yourself...IN THE LORD"

Commit Your Way to the Lord

Put yourself in God’s Hands...

Trust in His plan for your life...

Yield to Him.

Look to Him for strength and guidance.

Be Still before the Lord

Other versions say, "rest in the Lord"

This literally means

"do not murmur,

do not complain,

but silently submit and wait for Him

Wait Patiently for the Lord

Wait for the Lord’s perfect timing.

You’ve heard the song, "He’s the on-time God"

And that’s true,

He’s never too early,

He’s never too late...

He’s always right on time.

Refrain from Anger

If we exhibit anger, that is an indication that we are fretting.

Remember when we studied Psalm 2, Sunday Night?

Psalm 2:1 says, "why do the heathen rage"?

Rage is a decidedly heathen characteristic.

What if the Psalmist said, "why do the Christians rage"?

Christian rage is another oxymoron.

Turn from Wrath

And then turn from wrath.

If you find yourself succumbing to wrath and anger,

turn away

don’t fret,

It only leads to evil.

Conclusion

12 powerful commands from a wise and experienced leader.

David has seen much

much of his life has been chronicled,

even from his boyhood.

Now, David is an old man.

Listen, as David tells us again, in his own words; why we can stand firm.

"I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken "Psalms 37:25 (NIV)

I was a young boy, facing lions and bears and I took care of the sheep,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

I was a young boy, facing Goliath, the giant.

Yet, I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

I was a young man, facing a powerful King Saul, who wanted to kill me,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

I was hiding in a cave, fearing for my life,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

I was a King, and my own son rebelled against me,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

Listen to your Pastor, as he puts it into his own words.

My first born daughter was born, but died 4 months later,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

My wife suffered through 3 miscarriages,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

God called me out of a successful career as an Administrator, into being His servant,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.

Listen to yourself, list out your own trials and challenges,

Has there ever been a time when God failed you?

Can you point to a time in your life, when He let you down?

Now turn that around,

Has there ever been a time when you turned your back on God?