Category: Weekly Word of Encouragement

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalms 37:23-24 (NIV) Our Christian life is a journey, and it comes with many twists and turns and stumbles. We may want God to give us instructions for every step, but he does not do this, nor would he want to. He wants us to learn to trust his invisible hand, which we may not even recognize. Instead of waiting for step by step instructions, God would like us to delight in him. This keeps our hearts abiding in him, which he honors with guidance. Our steps will be “firm”; they will solidly contact the ground and give us a foundation for our next step. We may stumble because of the troubles in the world or because of our lack of Continue Reading →

But the meek shall inherit the landand delight themselves in abundant peace. Psalms 37:11 (ESV) Earlier in this Psalm the psalmist was encouraging readers not to fret over wrongdoers because they “will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb” (v. 2). Instead, if we are patient God will bless the righteous. It is not the violent or selfish who will eventually be in charge of the land but rather the meek, those who “trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” (v. 3). This reminds us of Jesus’ words “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:4, ESV). He was saying that when God’s kingdom is fulfilled that the peaceful ones who followed God will rule over the earth; this is the promise of the kingdom of God. In other words, the words of this Psalm Continue Reading →

He will bring forth your righteousness as the lightAnd your judgment as the noonday. Psalms 37:6 (NASB) Our faithfulness to God and his way of virtue often goes unrewarded. At work we may swim against the current and choose honesty and integrity. We might go out of our way to do something extra for someone or help them in their work. But if our fellow workers are not followers of God we might be ignored or even pushed out to the margins. In general, our righteous actions may not be recognized because of the selfishness, resentment or suspicion of others. Humans are naturally self-centered so we need to accept this with grace. But God promises that one day, probably not until the next age, the truth about us will be revealed. The true judgment of our life will brightly shine for all to see. Then we have the satisfaction of Continue Reading →

Delight yourself in the Lord,and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 (ESV) This promise may seem like an overstatement but I think that it is eventually true for those who delight themselves in the Lord. If we keep our hearts rejoicing in God in Christ, and what he has done for us and the blessing of following him, then he will give us the desires of our hearts sooner or later. Remember that the kingdom of God is already here but not yet complete. This means that most of God’s blessings are here in part but not yet completely fulfilled. Therefore, my desire for complete inner peace and joy is only partly fulfilled now, but will be completely fufilled on the New Earth. My prayers for financial stability is only partly fulfilled now but I will completely secure and prosperous in the next age. When Continue Reading →

In your light we see light. Psalms 36:9 (NIV) One of the great privileges of being a child of God is that he opens up our eyes to more and more truth and wisdom. God is the source of light. He gives us spiritual light as well as physical light. Our old self, who still lingers inside us, can not see invisible reality. It can not see what forces are at work in the world, what God is doing, why he does what he does and what his goals are. Our old self can not see the glory and satisfaction of following Jesus, including the sacrifices we make. But as a child of God we escape the darkness in the world and in our old self and we live in God’s light. We actually get to see what countless philosophers and psychologists and activists and most of our neighbors never Continue Reading →