Tag Archives: psalm 37

Joyce Meyer – Oh, Well

Joyce meyer

Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not your self—it tends only to evildoing.

—Psalm 37:8

Whenever I find myself in a situation I can’t do anything about, I have found that a good way to cast my care upon the Lord is simply to say, “Oh, well.”

Take, for example, the morning that Dave spilled his orange juice in the car and got a little of it on my sweater. Immediately he said, “Devil, I’m not impressed.” And I said,”Oh, well.” So that problem was solved, and we pressed forward with the rest of our day.

Some things just aren’t worth getting upset about, yet many people do. Unfortunately a large majority of Christians are upset, fretful, and full of anxiety most of the time. It is not the big things that get to them; it is the little things that don’t fit into their plans. Instead of casting their care and just saying, “Oh well,” they are always trying to do something about something they can’t do anything about. On more than one occasion that simple phrase “Oh, well” has really helped me to make it through.

 

 

Our Daily Bread — God’s Will

Our Daily Bread

Psalm 37:23-40

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. —Psalm 37:23

We’re often looking for God’s will—especially when we’re in a difficult situation. We wonder, What will happen to me here? Should I stay or does God want me somewhere else? The only way to know for sure is to do what He asks you to do right now—the duty of the present moment—and wait for God to reveal the next step.

As you obey what you know, you will be strengthened to take the next step and the next. Step by step, one step at a time. That’s how we learn to walk with God.

But you say, “Suppose I take the first step. What will happen next?” That’s God’s business. Your task and mine is to obey this day and leave the future to Him. The psalmist says our steps are “ordered by the LORD” (37:23). This day’s direction is all we need. Tomorrow’s instruction is of no use to us at all. George MacDonald said, “We do not understand the next page of God’s lesson book; we see only the one before us. Nor shall we be allowed to turn the leaf until we have learned its lesson.”

If we concern ourselves with God’s will and obey each day the directions and warnings He gives, if we walk by faith and step out in the path of obedience, we will find that God will lead us through this day. As Jesus put it, “Tomorrow will worry about its own things” (Matt. 6:34). —David Roper

God knows each winding way I take,

And every sorrow, pain, and ache;

His children He will not forsake—

He knows and loves His own. —Bosch

Blessed is the person who finds out which way God is moving and then goes in that direction.

Bible in a year: Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

 

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Who God Is

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Effective prayer depends on true faith.

Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Matthew 21:22

Think about it. What’s the point of bringing a matter before the God of all creation if you really don’t think He’s going to do something about it? His power, mercy and grace far exceed human expectations. Doubting prayers are unbelieving, fearful prayers. Jesus said you must have faith. Where does that level of faith come from?

Faith comes by letting the Word of God permeate your life. Your regular Bible study engages and strengthens belief within you. Knowing, understanding and submitting to the Scriptures gives insight into the heart of the Lord, making your prayers more in line with His will. As you delight in Him, your heart will be transplanted with new desires that match His own. Your maturing faith will be shown in your total dependence on God.

As you become more aware of who God is, you’ll see your faith deepen and your prayers change. Let your focus become more intent on the One you are praying to. Then, and perhaps only then, will you see great answers to your prayers that will leave you awed, humbled and more in love with your Savior – and make a noticeable difference in your home and nation!

Recommended Reading: Psalm 37:23-31

Presidential Prayer Team; C.P. – Enduring Prayers

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In today’s society, we tenaciously avoid waiting. The Bible mentions primarily three types of waiting. The first is the evil man waiting on his unsuspecting victim. He greatly desires what his victim has, whether it’s treasure, supplies or power, so he waits for the right time to snatch it. The second is a servant waiting on his master. Everything on the servant’s agenda is set aside; his only concern is what concerns his master. The third type is waiting on God.

Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. Psalm 37:34

You can learn from the other two types of waiting. Do you want God and what He has for you enough to stop everything and wait? Do you wait on the Lord as a servant waits on his master, putting His will first? The Bible also says to wait patiently. Patience is the ability to endure trials with a good attitude while waiting for God’s blessings – not demanding your own way, and knowing His blessings are worth it.

Are you seeking your Heavenly Father for your life and country, patiently trusting He hears you and will answer? Set your heart to wait on the Lord. He will reward your enduring prayers in due time.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31

Alistair Begg – Delight Yourself in the Lord

 

Delight yourself in the Lord.  Psalm 37:4

The teaching of these words must seem very surprising to those who are strangers to vital godliness, but to the sincere believer it is only the reminder of a recognized truth. The life of the believer is described as a delight in God, and we are reminded of the great fact that genuine faith overflows with happiness and joy.

Ungodly persons and mere professors never look upon religion as a joyful thing; to them it is service, duty, or necessity, but never pleasure or delight. If they attend to religion at all, it is either because of what they might get or because they are afraid of the consequences of neglect. The thought of delight in religious exercise is so strange to most men that no two words in their language stand further apart than holiness and delight.

But believers who know Christ understand that delight and faith are so wonderfully united that the gates of hell cannot manage to separate them. Those who love God with all their hearts find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. The saints discover in Christ such joy, such overflowing delight, such blessedness that far from serving Him from custom, they would follow Him even though the whole world rejected Him. We do not fear God because of any compulsion; our faith is no shackle, our profession is no bondage, we are not dragged to holiness, nor driven to duty. No, our piety is our pleasure, our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.

Delight and true faith are as interwoven as root and flower, as indivisible as truth and certainty; they are, in fact, two precious stones glittering side by side in a setting of gold.

‘Tis when we taste Thy love,

Our joys divinely grow,

Unspeakable like those above,

And heaven begins below.

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Best Counsel

 

“The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong” (Psalm 37:30,31).

Mary had gone to several psychologists and psychiatrists, and even religious leaders, seeking help, but no one had been able to help her. Consequently, she had been committed to a mental institution. Now, in desperation her family had come to seek help.

It did not take long to discover the root of her problem – she was plagued with a deep sense of guilt. Mary had been sexually promiscuous as a teenager, and prior to that she had been violated by her step-father who had taken advantage of her when she was a very young girl.

All of this tormented her greatly, but no one had taken her to the Word of God to help her understand that she did not have to carry the burden of her own sin. There is forgiveness. Scripture teaches that if we confess our sins, God is waiting to forgive and cleanse us.

There are three things we need to know about confession. First, the word “confess” means, in the original Greek language, “to agree with.” If I agree with God concerning my immorality, stealing, dishonesty, whatever it may be, I am saying, “Lord, I know it is sin.” Second, we know from Scripture that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross. And third, we must repent, which means we change our attitude toward that sin. This results in a change of action. When we do this, we have the promise that what we confess, God forgives, and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

When Mary understood the truth of God’s promise, she and I knelt together and by faith she surrendered all of her guilt and frustration to Christ, who died for her, and she claimed God’s forgiveness.

Only God could liberate her from the darkness and gloom of Satan’s kingdom and bring her into kingdom of light – the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary sensed God’s immediate liberation and began to rejoice in the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life with Christ. She became a radiant, joyful and victorious witness for our Savior.

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:22-40

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Not only will I seek the counsel of godly men and women, but I will, with God’s help, become a godly person myself. I will saturate my mind with the truth of His holy Scripture, so that I will know what is right and wrong according to the Word of God, and I will then be able to give wise counsel to others.

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – God Meets Our Needs

 

“I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves Him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry” (Psalm 37:25).

Tom had been a humble follower and servant of the Lord Jesus Christ from his youth. He had learned of our Lord at the family altar in his modest home. Through the urging of his father and mother, he mastered and memorized large portions of Scripture. By his teenage years he was preaching, and after a brief time of study in a Bible institute he became an evangelist. His work was largely in the smaller rural churches. His speech was never eloquent nor was he distinguished and cultured in his appearance and demeanor, but he was a man of God. wherever he went, hearts were strangely warmed as he spoke the truths concerning our wonderful Savior.

Now he had reached the ripe age of ninety. His hair was snow white and a bit long, but always neat. His ministry had covered over seventy years, and in that period he had come to know heartache, sorrow, adversity and poverty (especially during the depression years). He had performed many wedding ceremonies, had spent long nights at the bedside of the sick and had preached many funeral sermons. In obedience to his Lord, he had ministered to the widows and orphans, the poor and imprisoned. On this occasion, as he was coming to the climax of a rich and overflowing life, a radiant adventure with God – yes, the supernatural life – he reminisced. As he recalled some of the heartaches and tragedies, he said, “You know, not one single time in all my years have I seen the Lord forsake a man who loved Him, nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. Of course, I have seen Christians suffer, and I’ve been with them in their sorrow. But there’s something different about the life of the one who walks with God. There’s serenity, a peace. And then almost miraculously, while the ungodly go hungry, God meets the needs of His children as He promised.

“Yes,” he said in conclusion, “you can trust God and His Word. He never fails to keep His promise.”

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:26-34

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Knowing that I can trust God to meet my every need no matter what happens, I shall seek first the kingdom of God. Through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, I will live a godly life, a supernatural life for the glory of my Savior, and I will tell others how faithful and trustworthy He is.

Presidential Prayer Team, J.K. – Obeying and Abounding

 

You can’t have it both ways. Jeremiah writes that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” (Jeremiah 17:9) But David professes in today’s Psalm that the law of God is in the heart of the righteous one.

The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. Psalm 37:31

Psalm 37 talks of the problem caused when godless people prosper. Many times things go well for them – financially, physically, militarily for nations – and their attitude toward those who love the Lord is one of mockery and disrespect. Conversely, those whose faith is in God can experience His provision in abundance, but they also may endure hardship and persecution. The tendency might be to be envious of those who are wicked and prospering.

Don’t do that! Obeying God will reap many rewards. Trust in the Lord, delight in Him, commit your way to Him and rest in Him, and you will not falter in your walk with Him (Psalm 37:3-7). He alone can give you joy unending.

What is abounding in your heart? Rejoice in God’s law because obeying helps you to love God more and experience a life with eternal hope. This nation needs transformation from wickedness to righteousness. Let that be your prayer.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 37:1-7, 39-40

Charles Stanley – Overcoming Worry

 

Psalm 37

Once we comprehend how worry undermines trust in our Father and how willing He is to remove it from us, we need to seek out ways to cooperate with Him. So let’s look at some common sources of worry that we can avoid.

One thing we can do is learn not to pay attention to the wrong people. There are many purveyors of doom and gloom all around us. I’m sure we all can think of various sources of such negative thinking, and steps we can take to avoid them, whether it’s a neighbor or newscast that plunges us into despair. We don’t have to listen to something evil just because it is making a lot of noise.

Storing up treasures on earth is another thing to avoid. The more we stockpile worldly goods, the more we are tempted to worry about what might happen to our possessions.

We will be mastered by either the material or the spiritual. The Lord put it this way: “You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matt. 6:24). To avoid serving the wrong master, we must deliberately choose to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33). This means we must willingly pursue obedience and submission to God’s ways as He conforms us to the image of Christ.

Anxiety can be overcome. Our loving heavenly Father understands the human propensity to worry. And He has promised that putting His interests first will always result in our needs being met. The more we prioritize Him, the less apprehension will have a foothold in our lives.

Presidential Prayer Team; H.R. – Custom Designed

 

Billions of years ago, all the energy and matter of the universe were crammed together into a big ball. Then there was an explosion that caused the creation of the planets, stars and galaxies. It is known as the Big Bang theory – and people believe it’s true. However, it seems to take great faith to believe an explosion, which always causes only chaos and destruction, created perfect order and intricate design in the universe.

I know your works. Revelation 3:8

As a Christian, you can be reassured that the great, loving mind of God designed not only the planets and stars…but also your mind and body. God knows how you were formed, even to the detail of every hair on your head! Just as He knew the hearts of every person in the churches spoken to in Revelation, Jesus knows every thought, frustration, joy, strength and weakness. Psalm 103:14 says, “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

As your creator, God custom designed you for a unique purpose. Spend time reading the Bible and talking to Him every day. As you learn more about His attributes, you will learn more about yourself. Pray also that Americans and the nation’s leaders acknowledge God’s character as they make personal and professional decisions.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 37:23-34

Joyce Meyer – Linger in God’s Presence

 

Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him.—Psalm 37:7

Sometimes in our conferences, we just “hang out” in God’s presence. We sing and worship Him, and soon we enjoy the freshness of His marvelous wonder.

When we sense God is working in people’s hearts, we don’t worry about our meeting schedule or agenda. We set everything aside to just enjoy His awesome power working among His people. Many who came feeling bad are refreshed, and the sick are healed during this time of worship and waiting on the Lord. It happens all the time—there is healing in God’s presence.

If you feel discouraged, He will cheer you up. If you feel tired, He will strengthen you. Just sit in His presence and wait for Him to move in your life.