PSALM 37:23-40 (Condensed)
The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
For the LORD loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will die.
The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.
Put your hope in the LORD.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
The LORD rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them, and they find shelter in him.
The LORD directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the LORD holds them by the hand.
Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
For the LORD loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly.
He will keep them safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will die.
The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.
Put your hope in the LORD.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
You will see the wicked destroyed.
The LORD rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them, and they find shelter in him.
A
non-grumpy, non-grouchy GodI’m glad God isn’t like me. I grow impatient with myself and others with all of our stumbling through the Christian life. But God reaches out to grab us before we crash and burn! Some godly people strain my willingness to love and my ability to endure them. Clashing personalities, cultural assumptions, and religious convictions feed the feeling of running away as fast as I can from some godly folk. And just because people are godly doesn’t mean they aren’t a bit looney! Abandon ship. Row in the opposite direction with all your might!
Rescuing godly people gets tiresome too. As often as not, godly people get themselves in a fix. I think of David’s lousy parenting that helped precipitate Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 13). And he had the audacity to call out to God for help (Psalm 3)! Godly people are always calling on God, and God’s people, for help out of the fixes into which their own choices got them. Me too!
So I am especially warmed and cheered at David’s second sentence, “He delights in every detail of their lives.” Imagine that. God delights in all the pieces that create the puzzle of my life - and yours. Every piece, even the strangely shaped and oddly colored ones. Sounds like a perfect Father!
Lord of every sort of mortals, including my own sort, thanks for not thrusting out your rescuing hand in frustration or anger at yet another stumble or dizzying fix I find myself experiencing, often due to my own silliness or stupidity. Thanks for loving, even chuckling or winking at this child of yours as I flail about groping for your rescuing and steadying hand. I am glad that you take delight in me. - Mike Leamon
Godly beggarsThere is a man in our church who is struggling financially. He is a man of great faith and godliness and yet he struggles. At times he cannot meet his needs but he continues to trust in God.
When I read the second half of Psalm 37 I honestly get skeptical. Had the Psalmist never really seen a godly person begging? Is every beggar in the cities across America not godly? I struggle to find resolution to this.
Perhaps the Psalmist is using hyperbole to make a point. Maybe the Psalmist just did not get out much. Were things that different then?
Certainly, things were not that different. In other Psalms we hear of the wicked prospering while the righteous are suffering. That sounds more like what I read in my newspaper.
I tried to think of a godly person who is a beggar just to prove the Psalmist wrong, but I could not think of any. But then, I don’t know any real beggars personally at all. (Maybe that is part of my challenge.) I thought of this one man in our church I mentioned above. He has had some tight calls financially but God keeps coming through in unexpected ways.
The Psalmist I think is right. Even beggars in the city, when they come to Christ, see their lives improve. I thought about the stories of so many at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. God turns beggars into givers. There is something about God’s family, when you dive into Jesus; they surround you with love and all you need. God really does help the godly to prosper, not always in the way the world thinks about prosperity, but their needs are met and they are able to give to others out of their excess.
God of the rich and the poor, I pray for those who are less fortunate than I am today. Provide for their needs and encourage them to know you will meet every need of their life. Do not let their poverty pull them away from you I pray. - Dan Jones
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