Psalm 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2For they shall soon be cut down like the 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 shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.
We are presently enduring a season which has made all of us much more aware of economic forces. When things are going well, we are much less likely to pay so much attention to things like deficits and debt and bothersome stuff like that. When we are experiencing a surplus, we are in a much easier position to say, “Praise the Lord!” Our praise in those seasons is based upon our understanding it is God Who has provided, and so we praise Him. This is entirely appropriate.
But it is also God Who is providing in the tough economic seasons, when our praises tend to dwindle and to sound more like pleas.
I am constantly amazed how patient is with our (my) human nature - but then – we are His creation after all, and He knows our frame.
He knows that when we have less, we will look on at those who have more with a sense of longing. Those who were ‘wealthy’ heading into this economic crisis still seem to be wealthy, and they still seem to be doing fine…but, “Oh, what about me?!!”
God has a present and abiding desire to prove to His kids He is all they need. For those who have looked away from God and made financial gain, the Word teaches us they are not rich – they are bankrupt. God teaches us not to look on at the wealthy with any sort of longing whatsoever, (for good or for bad.) God teaches us wealth is found in knowing Him. Period. There is no wealth found outside of relationship with Him, and those who are truly wealthy know the Creator of it. Contentment is only found in knowing Christ. This is why David can truly say, “A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.”
- Pastor Bill
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