Advent Devotion for December 12, 2019 from Apostles By-the-Sea - Episode 12

Thursday, December 12, 2019

 

Psalm 37:1-18

¹ Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,

² for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.

⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

⁶ He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way,

   over those who carry out evil devices.

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil.

⁹ For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰ Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.

¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them;

¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy,

   to kill those who walk uprightly;

¹⁵ their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

¹⁶ Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked.

¹⁷ For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever;

¹⁹ they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance.

 

Reflection:

The Psalms are one of the most beloved books of the bible, partly because they cover the range of human emotions and conditions - not the least of which is the anger we might feel when the wicked seem to get their way. David addresses those concerns and emotions here in Psalm 37. No matter how terrible things might seem, David counsels that we should not seek to wish punishment upon the wicked. God can and will take care of all things, and so we’re instructed to wait and trust. But waiting can be hard. If you ever forget that fact, try waiting with a toddler, and you’ll be quickly reminded! Waiting, during times of uncertainty, can lead to fretting, which is what the psalm instructs us to refrain from three times (verses 1, 7 and 8). Fretting is a very destructive emotion; it turns our focus away from God and toward ourselves. Advent is a time of waiting. As we wait for our Lord’s coming, we may experience injustice from the “wicked”. We should not let these experiences be a reason to fret, rather we should “Be still!” and know that God’s justice will always prevail and He will put all things right.