The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 37:1-40 (day four)

The Bible has a miraculous way of giving wisdom for our current, earthly life, in the same breath as it gives insight to our eternal life to come. David encourages the believer that the Lord is a sure place to put our hope, both now and forever. He calls us to a particular kind of hope, though – a patient hope.

He encourages the believer that though they suffer in a temporary sense, a day is coming when their suffering will end, and they will dwell with the Lord forever. The unrighteous settle for cheap joy in the moment, but David calls us to wait patiently for the joy that will last forever. The Lord also offers us hope for our current lives. When we trust in the Lord and walk in faithfulness, he gives us the desires of our heart, which look increasingly like the desires of His heart. If we are willing to wait patiently on the Lord’s timing and sanctifying work, we will find over and over again that there is hope both for tomorrow and for eternity.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 37:1-40 (day three)

³⁴ Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

I love baseball. I love everything about it: The smells of grass and dirt, the sounds of a ball hitting a bat or mitt, the minutiae of stats, the stratagem of plays. I could go on and on and bore you with the history and stats that I know by heart. I also know that the game of baseball has a lot of waiting. I often hear that baseball is a boring sport, and I understand these feelings. But over my many years of playing and coaching, I have learned how to navigate the “waiting” during a baseball game. As a player, I learned to fill my time waiting by quizzing myself on what I would do if the ball came my way. I learned to watch the other players to see what they did well that I could learn from. As a coach, I have learned to engage with the kids to help them engage in the game. All this is to say that in the game of baseball, there is a lot of waiting. But there is much to do while you wait for your next opportunity. I often tell the kids I coach, that baseball is only boring if we don’t know what to do while we wait. Then, I try to coach them on what to do while they wait.

Waiting for God can feel like that sometimes. It can be hard to wait for His timing and to wait for what He has in store for us. Our timing is not His. In Psalm 37, David reminds us that there is much to do while we wait for the Lord’s timing. We are to keep God’s way. We are to follow Him and to stay steady on His path. We are to adhere to Him and His Word in all that we do.

If you find yourself having trouble waiting on the Lord today, ask Him to teach you to wait well. I know that He will.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 37:1-40 (day two)

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
² For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb. V. 1-2

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8

…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

There is a reality to living in a fallen world that sees others seemingly succeed at the cost of what is good, true, and beautiful. We see unscrupulous people win, get ahead, and live happy lives. This can be discouraging. That this can happen is a reality. We see it in almost every facet of life, even churches. It does reveal something about the believer as well. Where is your focus. I am less likely to be distracted by what other people get, do, or win if I’m not focused on them. The world is not the source of fulfillment or true happiness, and those who put their trust in those things will ultimately receive what they provide. Emptiness. If you find yourself in a state of mind that is discouraged by the world, take a breath and lift your eyes to the only one who can give you life.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day seven)

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Psalm 16:9-10

This Easter Sunday, I too echo the psalmist: my heart is glad! We have not been abandoned, though we deserved to have been. Our eternity is secure, though we did nothing to earn it. Our ransom has been paid, though we could never repay it. Yet, it was Jesus who was abandoned. It was Jesus who took on Hell. It was Jesus was crucified for my sin.

O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Hosea 13:14

My heart is glad because Jesus claimed the victory. My heart is glad because He won my soul for eternity. My heart is glad because the grave is empty. He is Risen! Say it with me: He is Risen Indeed!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day six)

David is not reacting to life; he is orienting it. “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” That is his starting point. From there, everything flows: his choices, his relationships, his sense of security, his joy, and even his future.

This is David’s vision of the good life: not success, not control, not self-fulfillment, but a life centered on God. And yet, we know David did not always live this way. Neither do we.

That’s what makes Psalm 16 so powerful. It shows us not just how life is, but how life is meant to be. And ultimately, it points us to Jesus, the only one who lived this vision perfectly.

The invitation is not to try harder, but to look to Him. Because the good life is not found in achieving a vision…

…but in fixing our eyes on the One who is the life. (and the way, and the truth)

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Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day five)

“As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.” Why do you  come to church?  Have you ever asked yourself and analyzed that question?  Past the “Sunday School Answers.” What is it about church attendance and participation that makes it worth your while?  Worship. Learning. Growing. Serving. While there are several answers and potential layers to these questions, I wonder if being with and near the people of God is one of your first few answers. We use church words like “fellowship” and “community” to describe it.  Is it unhealthy or unbiblical to put that much value and emphasis on being with God’s people. If we deem being with people as much as being with the Lord is that wrong?  Are those things mutually exclusive?  No says David. Not so says Paul. No says the scriptures. Why? How?  When we are near and with God’s people, we sense and see God’s presence, His power, His love, His grace, His wisdom, and His grace – just to name a few. Being with God’s people (saints) should bring Delight (David, Psalm 16) Joy (Paul, Romans 1) Encouragement (Hebrews 10). When we gather to worship, pray, study, serve, and fellowship, we are gathering with saints- those whom God has called, loved, filled, and blessed. We are nearer to God when we are nearer to His People. That’s a wonderful reason to be in church!  That’s a great reason to Deepen Relationships!

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day four)

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. v. 6

While David certainly enjoyed financial blessing, the heritage and inheritance he talks about here goes well beyond that. David recognizes that his inheritance isn’t tied up in land or possessions or even familial prominence, but in his relationship with the God of the universe, the one who rescued him from the pit and preserve his life. The Lord himself is his inheritance.

It boggles the mind that David wrote this Psalm before Jesus came on the scene. A similar sentiment is echoed by Paul in his letter to the Romans: The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

The miraculous thing we celebrate this week is that we can count ourselves heirs of God. Christ is our inheritance because he died for our sins and rose again, defeating sin and death and welcoming all into the Kingdom of God. No matter how bleak life seems, we who are in Christ can confidently say “my heritage is beautiful to me.”

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day three)

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (ESV)

This verse reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 10:10 where He says,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus wasn’t talking about a good life here on earth. He wasn’t talking about living “your best life now.” It was quite the opposite. Jesus came to give life for us in the future. He gave His life so we could live our best life in the days ahead when we cross from life on this earth to our eternal home with the Lord, surrounded by the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in His presence. Because of Jesus, we have the path to abundant and joyful life!

Now, because we have the path to life, we must follow it. David reminds us of the choice we have to make in verse 4 of Psalm 16. It is a free gift, but it must be received to be enjoyed. We must choose the Lord and to follow Him only in order to receive the abundant life given through Jesus. This Sunday, we will celebrate the gift of salvation that our God has given to us while looking forward to eternal joy in His presence. May we live for Him well in the days ahead, choosing life in Him and to not lift our eyes to any other.

Re:Verse passage – Psalm 16:1-11 (day two)