Larry Brincefield, larkayb@earthlink.net
November 13, 2002
Title: Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Text: Psalm 37:1-11, 25
Introduction
One of the great struggles for Christians down through history is, "why do bad people prosper, and Christians seem to struggle?"
That question has weighed heavily on people’s hearts and minds
from the earliest days of Scripture.
In Job chapter 21, Job asked...
Why do the wicked live on?
growing old?
and increasing in power?
Their homes are safe and free from fear.
They spend their years in prosperity,
and go down to the grave in peace.
Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
What would we gain by praying to him?
You can sense the pain and troubled mind of someone who has
lost his livelihood,
lost his wealth,
lost his health,
and even lost his children.
And even today, those questions continue
God, I’ve tried to live a Christian life,
I’ve been faithful to you and to the church,
and yet when I prayed that You would heal my daughter,
You were silent...
Where are you God?
Why do people that
don’t even profess Christ,
they don’t even pray for your intervention,
Why does their child live?
God, why did my _________ (husband, wife, etc) have to die?
Don’t you care?
God, why did you allow terrorists to kill so many people in our country?
why does terrorism and hatred spread?
what have we done to deserve all this?
And if you are honest with yourself,
you will probably admit to feeling like this at some point during your Christian journey.
Psalm 37 is a powerful poem written by David as he is getting older.
David has experienced much in his life...
he has seen lots of things...
and we will benefit by listening to the wisdom of someone who has been through so many things...
both positive
and negative.
David has been hunted down like an animal,
he has seen members of his own family killed,
he has struggled with dysfunctional relationships within his own family.
This Psalm deals with the universal question of:
why does it seem that evil people prosper,
and good people tend to struggle.
And David has been there
he knows how you feel.
And in this Psalm, he offers,
not one,
not 2,
not even 10
but 12 positive commands
that will encourage us
and help us with this universal problem.
I wish I could take the time to deal with each one of the 12 individually,
there is so much richness in these 12 verses...
but we will go through them all...
and as we do,
I trust that you will begin to get a picture of God’s faithfulness to the Christian.
Body
Do Not Fret
First of all, David says, "Do not Fret". Other versions say:
Don’t be upset,
Don’t worry
In fact, David wants to make extra sure that we get the message,
he repeats the command 2 more times,
once in verse 7
and once in verse 8.
David understands that this is a problem for God’s people...
he’s been there,
he understands,
in the past, he has worried about things,
but now that he is older,
he sees the futility of worrying about it.
Jesus Himself said, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life" Matt 6:27 (NIV)
Do Not Be Envious
David’s next encouraging command is "Don’t be envious"
"Don’t be jealous of the properity of evil people.
Don’t be jealous if they seem to financially prosper
and you seem to struggle paycheck to paycheck.
David then explains why in verse 2,
the evil people are like grass,
grass may look lush and green for a season,
but eventually it turns brown,
shrivels up
and dies.
Hebrews 11:25 says that Moses "chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time"
It may not seem like it now, but at some point,
the evil will receive their just desserts,
and the righteous will receive their just reward.
And it may not happen until the Judgment, but it will happen.
Trust in the Lord
Then David says, "Trust in the Lord"
In fact, that could be the theme of this entire section.
Do you see the evil prospering? TRUST IN THE LORD!
Do you see the righteous suffering? TRUST IN THE LORD!
"Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey"
Do Good
The next command is to "do good"
The funny thing about helping others...
it tends to lift US up.
Dwell in the Land
Then David says "Dwell in the land"
In other words, Christian, stay where you are.
Don’t go looking for satisfaction elsewhere.
Be satisfied with the realization that God is in control.
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?
Has there ever been a time when YOU failed HIM?
And yet God is there...
reaching out for you,
offering you another chance.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken" Psalms 37:25 (NIV)
If you get nothing else from this devotional tonight, I hope you begin to sense the power of that promise.
#44 "Great is Thy Faithfulness"
