Influencers Devotionals

Abiding Treasure: Our Part, God's Part by Bryan Craig

March 1, 2022

 

Psalm 37

God is not a God of confusion.  Any time I am feeling confused, I have learned to pause, be still and to seek Him and wait for clarity.  After some time of this, if there are still no clear answers or direction, I begin to move forward, for His Word says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21)  There is a time for waiting and a time for moving.  After we have prayed and surrendered to the Lord, we can have confidence that when we move, He will direct our steps.  If we are going in the wrong direction, He will stop us, just like He stopped Paul from going to Asia (Acts 16:6).  We will find the open doors in the midst of the closed doors.

Still, I like clear direction from the Lord.  We find this in His Word and confirmed by His Spirit.  I was reading Psalm 37 and I delighted in seeing some clear directives from the Lord.  Then, I saw what I can expect IF I follow those directives.  Let me share first the directives and then, the expected outcomes. These are all found in Psalm 37.  Read it and journal it for yourself.  I’m labeling them as “Our Part” and “God’s Part”.

Our Part

  • Don’t fret when I see evil being done.
  • Trust in the Lord
  • Do good.
  • Befriend faithfulness.
  • Delight myself in the Lord.
  • Commit my way to the Lord.
  • Trust in Him.
  • Be still before the Lord
  • Don’t fret when I see others prospering.
  • Be generous and give.
  • Turn away from evil.
  • Utter wisdom.
  • Wait for the Lord and keep His way.
  • Mark the blameless and behold the upright.
  • Make Him my stronghold in times of trouble.
  • Take refuge in Him.

God’s Part

  • He will give me the desires of my heart.
  • He will act.
  • He will bring forth righteousness as light and justice like the noonday.
  • I will inherit the land.
  • In a little while, the wicked will be no more.
  • I will delight in abundant peace.
  • Our little will be more than the abundance of the wicked.
  • The Lord will uphold me.
  • My steps will be established.
  • Though I fall, His hand will lift me up.
  • I will not be forsaken and my children will not beg for bread.
  • I will dwell forever.
  • I will not be abandoned nor condemned when brought to trial.
  • I will be exalted.
  • I will have a future.
  • He will be my stronghold.
  • He will help me and deliver me.

To me, this is a tangible example of what Abiding in Him looks like.  We try hard to describe it, but Psalm 37 does a great job.  The key is for us to focus on our part in this and leave the results up to God.  I can tell you, though, after walking with Him these past 25 years, I’ve seen these things to be true.  I know some of you have seen it as well. 

So, as the winds of chaos and confusion and evil swirl around us, we know what to do…don’t fret….trust…commit our ways to Him….delight in Him…wait on Him…be good…take refuge in Him.  These things seem small and simple and too passive for most of us who want to control our lives.  I’m an “A-type” personality who feels very capable to handle problems most of the time, but take it from me, the best thing I’ve learned to do most of the time is get out of the way so His will can be done.

I like the way Selwyn Hughes puts it, “My life works best when I live and behave in accordance with His will.  You are really only at your best when you are walking in the will of God.  Then all parts of your personality are drawn to health, vitality and fulfillment.”