ARE THERE WORKERS OF INIQUITY IN YOUR LIFE? (PSALM 37:1-7)

February 16, 2010 by memullin

Are there workers of iniquity in your life? The LORD has a strategy to deal with them. This strategy is laid out in verses 1-7 of Psalm 37.

1. Do not fret (worry) or be envious of the workers of iniquity aka “the bad guys” Don’t worry over them and their doings. Don’t envy them. Their prosperity and success is short-lived and shallow. This message is so important that it is repeated in this psalm at least 4 more times in verses 7b-10, 12-15, 17 and 20. Psalm 73 walks us through the near calamity that befalls the man of God when he becomes envious of the wicked. Taking my eyes off of the sovereign God can cause me to lose perspective on my true position and provision in Christ. (See Ephesians 1, 2; 2 Peter 1:3-4)

2. Trust in the LORD and do good. His Word is full of promises; read, study and know them. Then trust them. If He is LORD (and He is), then trusting Him is like trusting my heart to keep beating. It requires no effort. It is a fundamental truth of my existence. I trust that the God who went to all the trouble to communicate with me, save me and provide an eternal life for me, will keep His promises. Trusting God’s promises means living as if they are true. Do good means I should obey what God says to do in His word. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15.

3. Delight yourself also in the LORD. As I get to know Him, I enjoy the love He lavishes on me and the time I spend with Him. He is good! He is so much more than dead letters on a page. In order to delight in Him, I must think on Him, study Him, listen to Him, sit with Him, seek His face and be open to His guidance and correction.

4. Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in Him. Decide to go His way. Surrender your life, your path, your future to the LORD. Remember this is a progression. Only after you stop fretting, learn to trust, obey and delight yourself in God, will it come easily and naturally to surrender to His hand, His yoke. Jesus was clear in Matthew 11:29-30 when He said, “[t]ake My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” This is, however, best understood through personal experience with God.

5. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Ugh! This is the hardest phase of the progression for me. I find it hard to wait. I am like a filly at the gate waiting for the race to begin, anxious for the gate to open and to leap out . . . . but God knows when it is best for me to stay and when it is best to go. He hedges me in to keep me safe. I always want to move. When my circumstances are difficult, I want them changed to be easier, happier, different. But God, in His wisdom, knows there is benefit for me in the waiting. In the waiting, I must focus on God and listen for His voice. In the waiting, I must look at me, and consider my heart and my conduct. In the waiting, I am left with plenty of time to move through the Psalm 37 progression again and again. I must give up worrying (again). I must trust in the LORD and do good (again). I must delight myself also in the LORD (again). I must commit my way to the LORD (again). I can find much to do while I wait. The LORD will keep me in perfect peace when my mind is stayed on Him because I trust in Him. (Isa. 26:3 paraphrased)

Don’t let the workers of iniquity in your life (we all have them), keep you down. Study and apply Psalm 37. Work the program; see the results. The Psalm goes on to speak in greater detail about the concepts laid out in the first 7 verses in the later verses.

Delight in the LORD! What could be better?

Posted in Exhortation, Hope, In times of difficulty, Psalms | 1 Comment

One Response

on February 25, 2010 at 1:59 pm Kimberly

This really hits home for me right now, going through it again, couldn’t have read this at a better time. Thank you Lord for Mary and for the promise of Your word. Bless you Mary!

Comments are closed.

Rooted and Grounded

helping believers to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God