Psalm 37 is a Hebrew acrostic poem; each stanza begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It offers clear responses that reduce the tensions of life and promise that those who obey, trust and love the Lord will have a future. The earth belongs to the Lord, He will give it to those He blesses - the godly who trust in Him, put their hope in Him, and follow Him.
Psalm 37 is the biblical equivalent of comfort food to me; it's one you can read no matter what you're going through and it speaks to you. As I was reading through it, these are a few verses that I have underlined in my Bible. This is from the New Living Translation; read it in whatever translation you feel comfortable with or search for your favorite translation in Biblegateway. The following are verses - 5, 18-19.25-26, 34a, 39-40.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
even in famine they will have more than enough.
Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
The Lord rescues the godly;
he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in him.
The Lord alone is the center and focus of life and proper fear of Him opens the path of wisdom. Fear of the Lord is a disposition of absolute submission to and trust in the Lord, which leads to purity of life. Fear of the Lord is a search for abundant life that begins with seeking the Lord.
The way of wisdom is the way of godliness. The lives of the godly demonstrate inner consistency, growth and beauty as they increasingly reflect God's righteousness and justice, love and fidelity, compassion and grace. Godly is from the heart - from the inside out.
Wisdom enlarges a persons perspective on life. A wise person desires to see life from God's point of view. This search means living in submission and trust under the sovereign King who maintains the order and harmony of creation. Seeking God encourages orderly and peaceful life and motivates obedience. The wise imitate God, and their lives are full of joy even they are going through life's trials and disappointments. They praise the Lord in the midst of all the circumstances of life. They face life confidently because they know the Lord is with them no matter what - He's got their back!
Jesus Christ came into the world as God in the flesh. He embodies all the qualities of wisdom. Through Him, we can walk in the way of wisdom for He suffered for all our sins (Col. 2:2-3)
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