February 22, 2017
A LESSON IN BEING ACTIVELY INACTIVE
Psalm 37:1-19
Sierra Waddell
Central Truth
Delighting ourselves in God, devoting our daily lives to Him, and approaching Him with humble patience—this is how we can actively be still before Him.
Key Verse | Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
(Psalm 37:5)
Psalm 37:1-19
He Will Not Forsake His Saints
1 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet Of David.
1
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
2
37:3
Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
4
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
7
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!
8
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
10
In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
11
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.
12
The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.
14
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
15
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16
Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18
The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
19
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 37:1-19
Let’s be real: the struggle of comparison runs wild in our culture. We are exposed daily to and interact often with people who are seemingly being rewarded despite their internal wickedness. I know that this can be a constant source of jealousy and bitterness within my own heart. I catch myself wondering, “Why them? Why not me? What more should I do?” Well, Psalm 37 offers wisdom to us in how we might be actively inactive in our relationships both with God and others.
If we make the Lord our heart’s delight—if we delight in Him and Him alone, we will want to see His will done, and it will be done (verses 3-4). That is our action: to be captivated by our God. To be totally wrapped up in who He is because there is no greater joy than knowing Him!
If we commit our lives to the Lord and we trust Him and Him alone, we will experience all that He has for us (verses 5-7). That is our action: to submit our daily lives to our God and have confidence in His most perfect plan!
If we are meek in the way we approach the Lord—if we recognize our brokenness and dependence on Him, we will gain much by strengthening our bond with Him (verse 11). That is our action: to “choose the way of patient faith” (Dr. Constable's Notes on Psalms at 122) and respond to our God’s commands.
While I studied these verses, I noticed that these “actions” feel fairly inactive. Rather than having me take things into my own hands, God calls me simply to lean into Him—to let my heart and mind actively seek Him, because He will handle the rest. This is being actively inactive . . . committing to Him and trusting Him to act. I am relieved and comforted and ready to go!
Discussion Questions
1. I read a post on bible.org called “When the Bad Guys Win,” and I learned that commitment involves submitting in two different ways: 1) putting off anger, envy, and irritation, and 2) putting on trust, obedience, patience, and humility. What are some things you can do to actively put off negativity toward others and actively put on positivity toward the Lord?
2. Being still before the Lord takes effort on our part—it isn’t always easy in a success-driven world. But “unless we learn to wait silently before God, we will never experience His peace” (Dr. Constable's Notes on Psalms at 122). Are you able to actively spend still and silent time with the Lord? Maybe even try spending an extended period of time in prayer!
3. Among other assurances, the Lord promises to sustain the righteous—those who are the “objects of God’s careful attention” (Dr. Constable's Notes on Psalms at 122). Would you thank Him today that He has chosen you and cares for you in this way? How about encouraging someone else in your community to praise God for being attentive to them in a way that no human can?