Welcome back to our online Study A 30 Day Walk with God in the Psalms by Nancy Leigh DeMoss! I am so glad you are joining us and taking time to savor God’s Word. My prayer for us during this study is that we would learn to take exquisite delight in spending time in God’s word!
This week’s online study is being led by Christin Eschelbach. Enjoy!
You were asked to complete Psalms 37 and 90 this week. Our focus for this week’s lesson is Psalm 37. If you have not yet downloaded our weekly syllabus, you may do so here.
While observing Psalm 37, I could not help but smile when I got to verse 7 which says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” This has been one of the areas God is working on in my life. This Bible study has helped to encourage me to truly take time to be still and observe the Psalms a chapter at a time.
On page 22, we are asked to note key words/phrases that stood out in this passage. Here are a couple that stood out to me:
- Fret not
- Be not envious
- Befriend faithfulness
- Delight in the Lord
- Wait for the Lord
- The meek shall inherit the land
Then we are asked to write out a key verse from this passage. I chose verse 5, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act.”
In this Psalm we are reminded of the age-old problem of good verses evil. We must wrestle with the seeming injustice that occurs when the wicked prosper and the righteous have to deal with unpleasant circumstances. Psalm 37 contrasts the wicked and the meek and confirms each of their outcomes. This is a great reminder that God has already won the battle and is victorious. He already knows what plans He has for our future just like His word tell us in Jeremiah 29:11. He has plans to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future. The wicked, however will be cut off and vanish.
If we are honest, however, it is sometimes hard to watch the ungodly world around us without fretting. On page 23, I love the spotlight on the word fret. it was interesting to me to see how the meaning expands from just worry, to anger, jealousy, grieving and being displeased. It was also eye opening to be reminded that letting this fester and stir within us leads to evil (vs 8).
So how cease fretting? We have to redirect our focus. Here are some phrases in Psalm 37 that will help us keep our focus on the Lord.
- Trust
- Do good
- Befriend faithfulness
- Delight yourself in the Lord
- Commit your way to the Lord
- Wait for the Lord
- Take refuge in the Lord
Is there a current situation, relationship, or problem that has you currently fretting? I have a couple situations that can conjure up a fretting spirit within me. But I am reminded of my key verse from earlier which says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act”. I am learning to truly trust God and to turn those worries and griefs over to the Lord and wait for him to act! This can be difficult. In our classroom discussion there were two great applications given to help when we want to battle the fretting spirit and cultivate a meek spirit.
- Scripture memorization – This can help us bring our focus back to the Lord and his promises.
- Taking time to list some of the attributes of God – This brings our focus back to the Lord.
While reading more about Psalms 37 on the Revive our Hearts website, I also found a great tool that details the differences between a fretting spirit and a meek spirit. Take a look here and print it out if you’d like to as a resource to keep.
My hope for you and for me is that we are able to:
- Focus/Trust on the Lord
- Delight ourselves in the Lord
- Commit our ways to the Lord
- Wait/Rest on the Lord
He alone holds the power to change a fretting heart to a meek one.
Prayer:
Lord, we praise and thank You for Your love, Your faithfulness, and Your Word that changes hearts to be more like You. Help us to focus on You so that we can be living examples of Your light and power to the world around us.
Next week’s assignment: Psalms 16 & 71 (Focus Psalm: 71)
Joyfully His,
