“Do
not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will
soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in The
Lord and do good; so you will live in the land and enjoy security. Take
delight in The Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to The Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. He will make
your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the
noonday.” Psalm 37:1-6 NRSV
The
bad news is inescapable, and we see so much of it that many wonder if there
will come a time when we become desensitized to the point that we will no
longer be shocked or even disheartened. There was a time when we marveled
at the “uncivilized” behavior of other nations, “third-world” countries in which
anarchy reigns and no one is safe. Now that anarchy seems to be the order
of the day in our own country, we are still shocked and saddened, maybe even
afraid that we cannot always know our loved ones will be safe. There is
no worse feeling than that of having virtually no control over our own lives as
we order our routines in such a way as to avoid dangerous, or potentially
dangerous, areas and situations only to discover there is no way we can
possibly know if something as harmless as a trip to a shopping mall may turn
into a disaster.
Yet
the psalmist advises us not to lose our religion over it! We are
encouraged to take heart, for “the wicked will be no more; though you
look diligently for their place, they will not be there” (vs 10).
This does not necessarily mean, however, that in our time evil will suddenly
dissipate without our notice or some effort on our part. I think the
psalmist is suggesting that before this can take place, something else must
happen first.
“Take
delight in The Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (vs 4).
Prosperity preachers have hijacked verses such as these and twisted their
meanings in such a way that rather than evil being magically removed from our
lives, material wealth will be magically added to us; that the “desires
of your heart” are strictly limited to big cars, fine homes, luxurious
vacations, and more than enough money to enjoy all these things. What is
not mentioned by these prosperity preachers is that such things come only from
hard work and diligent financial planning. Nor do they warn us that
material wealth can be as much a curse, if not more, than a blessing. No,
they seem to suggest that the more money we send them, the more magic
money we can expect to receive.
This
is not at all what we are being told in this word of encouragement.
Prosperity in the Bible can in no way be construed as wealth without
work. Rather, our “prosperity” can be directly linked not only to the
“delight” we find in The Lord, but what kind of “delight” we actually
seek. Do we “delight” only in the idea of more money than we can
count? Eternal salvation for ourselves? Or can we find “delight” in
the possibility of being so “transformed” as to possess the mind, the heart,
the affections, the compassion, and the temperament of The Lord? Do we
“delight” in the reality of Divine Law that not only prohibits certain actions
but actually encourages other actions in which we look out for one
another? Do we find “delight” in the idea that we are not encouraged at
all to “look after #1”?
The
safety and security of The Lord’s people are, I think, directly linked to what
kind of God we think we serve, what kind of prosperity is offered, and what
sort of delight we may find … on HIS terms rather than our own. The
promises of Scripture are sure and certain, but there are conditions in spite
of what “cheap grace” theology may suggest. It is not a matter of simple
obedience with no thought as to why obedience is even important. Rather,
we must learn to find “delight” in our obedience to The Lord, learn to fully
trust that He is actually eager to show us the more excellent way!
For this to be possible, however, we must be willing to trust The Lord enough
to follow Him, literally and metaphorically. Only then will we find the
“delight” offered. Only then will “the meek inherit the land, and
find delight in abundant prosperity” (vs 11).
The
Lord is great, is He not?
Michael
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