GOD IS HOLDING YOUR HAND!

READ PSALM 37 

WHY WOULD WE ALLOW THE TEMPORAL TO DRIVE OUR EMOTIONS, DESIRES, AND REACTIONS?

Psalm 37:18-19

The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will remain forever;

19 they are not put to shame in evil times;

in the days of famine they have abundance. 

Even though the wicked seem to prosper, David continues to give reasons to trust in God to the readers of this wonderful psalm.

God is totally aware of the lives of those who are His and trust in Him. Their lives will leave a legacy of righteousness, and He will take care of them during every hardship of life.

God promised to take care of His own many times in the Scriptures.

Isaiah 41:10

fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that our trust must be preceded by humility. Humility requires our admission of inability, our recognition of God’s ability and consequential total trust and dependence on Him. Only then will we have the peace and rest that we so desire.

Why would we not be satisfied with God, when the final outcome is certain?

It is certain for the wicked.

Psalm 37:20

But the wicked will perish;

the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;

they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 

It is certain for the righteous.

Psalm 37:21-22

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,

but the righteous is generous and gives;

22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,

but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 

Why would we ever focus on what we can see now? Why would we allow the temporal to drive our emotions, desires, and reactions? Not only should we look to God for our provision, but we should be generous with what we have. The wicked accumulates because he believes that his sustainability rests on his ability; the godly is generous because he knows his provision is unending, adequate, and timely.

Psalm 37:23-24

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord upholds his hand. 

What a beautiful image! God is holding our hands! I am reminded of walking with my children along the sidewalk in the city of Rome. There were the dangers for them from the traffic, the possibility of stumbling and falling, or of getting lost. My grasp on the hand of my squirming child was not restrictive, but protective.

God is holding our hands, too, as we walk through the difficulties of life, and while we are evaluating what we have and observing what others are enjoying. We are not being deprived, we are not being abandoned. God is protecting us from what we really don’t need, keeping us close and dependent on Him.

I remember how many times my children stumbled, but did not fall because I was holding their hand. Those mishaps usually were followed by pleasurable times, when their little unaware hand stopped struggling to get loose and found comfort in being held.

God is so kind in reminding us today, that we should not be squirming in our trusting dependence on Him. We are certainly not wise enough to even know what we really need. We are not knowledgeable enough to know the dangers of possessing what would certainly not be good for us.

David had observed God’s provision; his experience had proven God to be faithful.

Psalm 37:25-26

25 I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken

or his children begging for bread.

26 He is ever lending generously,

and his children become a blessing. 

David had observed the continuous care of God. His care is not only sufficient, but generous. Let’s not forget that as God takes care of our needs, not our wants, He wants us to be generous and to be a blessing to others.

May we go out today and live with satisfied dependence on God, being generous with what He has given us. May we be a blessing to others!