WE ARE RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE of the glorious process of shopping for a new lawnmower, which is not really on my top ten of favorite things to do. But, the yard at our new house is HUGE and it calls for the big guns. Even in the midst of the mundane day to day things like lawnmower shopping (I would rather be shopping for a hundred other things), I love finding teaching from the Lord. As I was flipping through the DOZENS of Craftsman mowers on the internet (and trying to get as excited as Rob gets over new Craftsman "anything"), I was reminded of one of the great passages in Psalms that is such an incredibly comforting passage in today's wicked world.
Psalm 37 (New King James Version)
A Psalm of David.
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For 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.
WOW....there is so much to take hold of in these verses! We live in times that unlike those of the past, the evil deeds of those who purpose themselves to stir up strife "seem" to outweigh the just and the upright, who "seem" to be fewer and far between these days. But even though it "appears" that Satan (and his many followers) "seem" to think that they have the last laugh, the Lord, the King of Kings, I AM, the Alpha and the Omega....HE and ONLY HE has the final say. Isn't that comforting?
We have an incredible advocate in Christ. He is there to defend and never leave or forsake those who believe in Him as a personal Lord and Savior. And what a fabulous sense of comfort and security to know that not only will the Lord cut them down like blades of grass, but He laughs at them! I love to read about the character traits of the Lord, especially when the scripture talks about His laughter. Rob and I take great pleasure in laughter....and laughter is a natural healer. It's easy to feel bad when Satan (or his pawns) try and attack your character, your beliefs or just you in general. But our Heavenly Father can give us peace"which surpasses all understanding" and He will "guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
God is so good....and having God in our lives makes our lives worth living to the absolute fullest...with heads thrown back, hearts filled with laughter but more than that, hearts filled with the love of Jesus. And like the song says, He is the peace speaker.....and I know Him by name! Praise God!
But knowing all of this is not where the Lord expects us to leave this. He expects us to PRAY for our enemies as well. You heard me.....pray for your enemies. That's pretty hard to do....I find it incredibly difficult to do, but as Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God did not put the expectation on us as His children to pray for our enemies, if He did not fully intend to give us the strength to carry out that task. And it doesn't say "some things".....but we can do "ALL THINGS"!
Most gentle reader, if you don't know Jesus or you're not sure how to have a relationship with Him as Lord and Savior of your life, I pray that you will not only find a Bible teaching and Bible believing church home, but that you will consider clicking this link to read more about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessings in Christ,
