Key Verses: 1-4 "(1) Do not fret because of evildoers, or be envious of the worksers of iniquity. (2)For they will soon be cut down like grass, and wither as the green herb. (3) Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. (4) Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Spurgeon Insight: "To fret is to worry, to become vexed...Faith curses fretting...make Jehovah the joy and recoicing of your spirit...There is no room for fretting if we remember that God is ours...Those who delight in God ask and desire nothing but what will please God; hence, they may have what they will."
David wrote this Psalm after learning the valuable lesson of not envying the affluent lifestyles of those who don't know God. They may have even seventy years of happiness with their toys, but in the end, they tragically lose. They step into an eternity of judgment, at death, or the return of Jesus Christ. God will judge them because He is just and perfect, because of who they are, and because of what they have done and desired. That is what I would face in the future were it not for Jesus taking my shame on the cross.
But the follower of Jesus faces a different reality. If we know God in Jesus Christ we have the only thing that can truly satisfy the human heart for eternity; we have God Himself! We have His forgiveness and cleansing. As a Christian I will suffer in this life for sure. But in my suffering I am sustained by the presence of God in my life! In eternity my suffering will end and even greater heights of fulfillment will be mine in the unhindered presence of God, and the people of God.
I will choose in this life to delight myself in God, and not the fleeting pleasures of this world that tug at my heart competing for it's affection. I will never be dissapointed chosing God instead!
As an added bonus of delighting in Jesus, I will also find greater freedom to do whatever I want. If what I want is God, God will be happy to give me what I want because He wants to give me Himself! If I enjoy God above all other things all my prayer requests will be tempered with a call for God to accomplish His will in my life. Because God wants His will to be done in my life all my prayers will be answered in the way that I want, because God and His glory are what I ultimately desire. The trick is getting this tempted heart to delight in and enjoy Jesus above all things. This will take the grace and enabling of the Holy Spirit who lives in me today as a follower of Jesus.
If you want the things we've talked about in this Psalm like I do, go after God in prayer with me right now! He will give our souls the lift we need.
Father, satisfy this heart with enjoyment of You! Help me see the superior gift I have in You, above all other things this life has to offer me. Help me to feed on Your faithfulness day by day so I can deeply be satisfied in my spirit, with the touch of Your Spirit. I thank you for the work you will do in me today! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Grace and Peace
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