In review of Psalm 37:7 it says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (NLT).
Today’s verse comes from Psalm 37:1-7, where David tells me to not worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong, for they will soon fade away. My role is to trust in the Lord and always do good. When I do, I will live safely in the land and prosper. I am to take delight in the Lord for he will give me my heart's desires. Commit everything I do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help me. He will make my innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of my cause will shine like the noonday sun. Just be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.
I should never envy anyone, no matter what they have or what they may get. For what they have in this lifetime will ultimately fade and vanish. Because I follow God, I live my life differently from others, for in the end I will end up with far greater treasures in heaven. What an unbeliever gets on earth may last a lifetime, but what I get as a follower of God will last forever.
So David calls me to take delight in the Lord and to commit everything I have and do to him. I do this by learning and getting to know him better and to be faithful in my relationship with him. Knowledge of God's great love for me will give me the delight I need for now. For me to commit myself to the Lord means entrusting everything in my life, to his control and guidance. It means that I put my trust in him, believing that he can care for me better than I can myself. When I pray for things, I should be willing to wait patiently for him to work out what is best for me.
Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (NLT). God wants me to wait patiently for him to answer my prayer.
It was pointed out to me this morning that we can usually endure waiting as long as we can grumble about it while we wait? Case in point, we tolerate waiting in the DMV line as long as we can gripe and complain about how lousy and ineffective the operation is.
But God is telling me, “Be still.”
Like a little 2-year-old, I get the spiritual wiggles while I’m waiting for God to answer a prayer. I get nervous and restless. It doesn’t take long for me to want to jump up and do something. But God says, “Wait patiently. Be still. Watch me act. Don’t get restless, don’t get nervous, and don’t try to take matters into your own hands.”
I should take consider Abraham’s mistake in the Old Testament of trying to be the answer to his own prayer. It will cause all kinds of problems! In summary, One day God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation. There were only two problems: Abraham was 99 years old, and he was childless. Abraham looked at his own body and said, “No way, José!” And he looked at his wife, Sarah, who was infertile, and said, “Double no way! It ain’t gonna happen.” So Abraham took matters into his own hands and had a baby with his wife’s maid, Hagar. Abraham said, “Here’s my answer to prayer! I’ve got a son at 99. His name is Ishmael.” God said, “No, no. You missed the point. That’s not my answer to prayer. That’s your answer to prayer. I’ve got a miracle boy who’s coming, and Sarah’s going to be the mom. You’re going to name him Isaac.” Isaac means “laughter.” When Sarah was told that she was going to become pregnant, the Bible says she laughed because she didn’t believe God. But God had the last laugh. Isaac was born, and it started an intense rivalry between him and Ishmael that we’re still paying for today. The tense relationship between Jews and Arabs all began because Abraham tried to answer his own prayer request.
Whenever I try to answer my own prayer, I’m asking for trouble. Instead, David reminds me to wait patiently, and watch God act.
Bottom Line:
Be still in God’s presence, wait with patience for him to act.
What this means to me:
I am to be still in the presence of the Lord. I need to wait patiently for him to act
In summary, I shouldn’t compare my life to others and worry about what others have or seem to get. My role is to trust in the Lord and do what is right and good, regardless. Because I follow God, I live life differently than others, God will give my heart's desires and treasures in eternity. So I need to commit everything I have and do to Him. Entrust everything to his control and guidance. Get to know Him better each day. Then when I pray, I need to wait patiently for him to work out what is best for me and not take matters into my own hands. I am to be still in his presence and wait patiently, then watch Him act
Father, this morning I pray, “that I learn to turn to you first and ask for you to help meet my needs and provide me guidance and wisdom. Help me to be patient and not take matters into my own hands. I also ask for you wisdom and guidance in handling work tasks I have. Grant me clarity so that I can respond rightly to people around me. Help me to lead my team. These things I pray in Jesus name!.”
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