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Wait patiently for Him; Take refuge in Him; Pray without ceasing |Daily Post #3|

Updated: Aug 11, 2021


A Reflection on Psalm 37

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 37:7 🧍


The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 37:39-40 👑


Reflection:

From Psalm 37, these 3 verses stood out for me.

In a time of crisis right now, we keep worrying constantly. From overstocking supplies, frenzied WhatsApp group chats, to watching the news incessantly, no wonder people get crazier every day.

When was the last time we actually stopped?

Really stop and take time to reflect. And just “be still” before the Lord. Immersing ourselves in His Word and asking the Lord for guidance?

Sometimes we forget that our hope is not in what we do, but our hope is in the Lord during these times of trouble.

As He promises us in Psalm 37 that "He Will Not Forsake His Saints”. The Lord is willing to helps us and delivers us, as we take refuge in Him…but have we accepted it?


Commentary:

God provides plentifully and well, not only for his working servants, but for his waiting servants. They have that which is better than wealth, peace of mind, peace with God, and then peace in God; that peace which the world cannot give, and which the world cannot have. God knows the believer's days. Not one day's work shall go unrewarded. Their time on earth is reckoned by days, which will soon be numbered; but heavenly happiness shall be for ever. This will be a real support to believers in evil times. Those that rest on the Rock of ages, have no reason to envy the wicked the support of their broken reeds.

-Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary–Psalm 37:7:20-



Posted on:

March 28, 2020

 

Psalm 37's Chapter is called: He Will Not Forsake His Saints. Fittingly, the Lord never forsakes His Saints.. the question becomes have we be(come) "still" before Him and wait patiently? To stop and reflect. To not be anxious. Immersing ourselves in His Word and asking the Lord for guidance? And to rely on His covenantal promise? That He will help and delivers us, as we seek refuge in Him? The Lord is willing to helps us and delivers us, as we take refuge in Him…but have we accepted?


Tonight before I was started to do my devotions, I just felt so overwhelmed. Recently we lost an important employee that we relied heavily upon. This sudden change and need to replace said employee started to dawn on me. Not to mention this triggered me emotionally. During these tough times, I always remembered my best friend. Whom I would talk too and share. Yet recently me and my best friend had a dispute. We had an impasse or a deadlock in opinions. Long story short we haven't really been talking at all. It's sad when we can't see eye-to-eye. I finally understood what Paul meant:

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:1-4 😔

In my previous life, I've always thought that religion was secondary. What was important then was money, power, fame, etc. Yet after growing in Christ, I learnt of my renewing desire and prayer. I truly hope those I love—my family, friends, significant others, even acquaintances to know the majesty of having Christ as their Lord and Savior. Not just by theory or knowledge as Paul writes, but a heart-felt relationship submitted in God's righteousness through Christ.


When we love someone, wouldn't we do everything the law says and more?


Recently I learnt off this epiphany. To truly love someone we would do more out of willingness and not reluctance. Just as growing in Christ is paradoxically a duty yet not. It is first and foremost a relationship that stems off how Christ's great love overwhelms us. From the pericope in Romans, Paul's desire for prayer and ministry was for the Gentiles he encountered. I now empathize with him in knowing that many I know who maybe quote unquote 'Christians' that love God but never knew about the one True God. Well. I'm not saying I'm perfect myself, yet I hope that we all seek to find His truth daily in our lives. It's really dangerous to be ignorant of who God is. When we don't read our Bibles. When we don't question and even filter out rubbish theology and more accurate theology. It's even more dangerous when we think we are our own gods in our life...Yet interestingly, I also know that my God is a living God. He works in ways unimaginable:

Just like how the Holy Spirit led me out off being ignorant of God's righteousness, I am confident that He can do the same for anyone.

It took me up to ten different Churches, twenty seven years of running away, searching, but oh what amazing grace it truly was! At the end off the day Psalm 37 really seeps into my life. How the Lord never forsakes His Saints is so true. Even in the midst off all the crap prosperity gospel, charismatic Bethany Church spouting humanistic theology, even through the somewhat self-righteous Reformed theology. All theology is flawed and man-made. Yet our true theology comes from Christ who believe it or not has given us His law inside off us:

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16 📝💗

As Paul writes, the Gentiles or essentially everyone else beside God's chosen children has a 'moral' conscience. If you walk up to a random person right now, most off the time they intrinsically know that you can't murder someone. You can't lie. It's not right. But what makes it so? Some people may argue it's ingrained ethics or that we are 'conditioned' to think that way. Yet the Bible says that it's because God has given us.


In addition, as to how I was able to know Christ's true teachings comes from the covenant promise off the Holy Spirit for all believers. Did you know that after Jesus ascended into Heaven, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to lead us?

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. John 16:13 🕊️

In a way, the Spirit helps me filter out everything and compares it to what the Bible says. That's why this discernment is given to us to know why some things are 'odd' or even doesn't make sense. Why some sermons are just so far from the truth. Or why even we can have a 'bad feeling' about certain situations. As the Spirit here guides us in Christ. Yet we still have to decide to follow or not. We still have too feed our souls with God's Word daily. It's similar to a car—The Holy Spirit is like the GPS navigation. But what good is a GPS if it doesn't have the fuel/electricity to power it? Hence, it's a two-pronged approach. Listen to the Spirit, but also feed it! Fill our lives with God's Word, listen to sermons, join (the right) communities, praise through hymns and songs, etc. Most importantly—submit to Christ, just like you would listen to a GPS you know that they understand much more than us who sees a limited scope off things...🧐

As the Spirit guides us, we also believe that there is hope in Christ for us who are saved in hoping, praying, and most importantly relying in Him:

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:9-10 🤲

The key point here is "pray" and know that only in Christ are we able to be filled with: knowledge of His will, spiritual wisdom, understanding. As a result of that, we see 'fruits' of good work, and increased knowledge of God. Even if we try our best just like Paul did, the reality is that not everyone can be saved and not every Christian is given the blessing to know the true Christ. But regardless. We are reminded to "pray without ceasing," as in 1 Thessalonians 5:16. 🤗.

 

Reflection

Dear Lord, please be with my best friend. I have tried and failed. Tried and failed in fixing our problems. But I know now it's not something I can 'fix'. I miss them a lot. I wonder what they are doing now... Lord, You know the inner depths of my heart, the darkest crevasses of my thoughts, things far a miss You know all too well. How my soul aches in agony. 😟. I love my best friend and I wish I can meet them now. But I know deep down, I shouldn't. That every time I encounter them, I hurt You O Lord and I don't want that. 😔. Please O Lord draw close to them. I lift up this problem into Your hands O Lord, yet help me do my part in all this as well. Please let them live a life in Christ. Not to be just a lukewarm Christian. But to really really experience Your grace. To be transformed by The Gospel of Jesus Christ as You have done so in mine. If it means me being forgotten. Or me being hated. It's okay. But please Lord hear the cries of Your servant. 😭. I can't ever decide who is Your chosen people, but I can beg for it. In earnestness, I come before You my Great Lord to ask humbly. To plead. That You not forget Your low servant... who always is unfit for favors, yet all the more begs for Your great hand to lift up the very depths of my best friend's soul. Thank You Jesus for reminding me to trust You again today. Teach me to be a waiting servant. To pray without ceasing. For giving me the compassion to pray this prayer. As Jeremiah, David, and most importantly Jesus prayed in zeal for their people. I know now too off the pain. To know those we hold dear unknown-st to them is facing impending judgment. That they have strayed and rebelled constantly. But please O Lord my Lord... have mercy on them as You did for me, before the time is up. Yet Lord. Not my will but Thy Will be done. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.



Updated on:

March 28, 2020 | February 19, 2021 | August 9, 2021 |

Credits:

Waiting And Prayer 📷 Ümit Bulut


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