Series: The Word
Psalm 37:5-6 ESV
Psalm 37:5-6 (trust God)
Mustard Seed Faith (Matthew 17:20)
I Samuel 13:8-14 and I Samuel 15:17-19 (Saul was disobedient)
I Samuel 15:23 ESV
The thing about commitment is that it’s a two way street.
On one street there’s God.
When it comes to commitment, there is never a time when God is not committed to us.
God doesn’t look on us and say, “I’m not going to show up for you today.”
God does not make a choice to love us or not commit to loving us.
Because of the character and nature of God, God cannot drop the ball and decide not to be faithful to us.
The psalmist knew that, so because God’s commitment to us is completely and totally unwavering, when David wrote Psalm 37 he knew that since commitment was a two way street we need to make a decision to commit to God.
In Psalm 37:5-6, he wrote “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
Like many of you (especially those who have a few decades under their belt) I’ve survived more than one lifetime event (some call it a catastrophic loss or life changing event).
In Seminary we studied such events and the impact they have on our faith journey. I’ve witnessed some believers who had a lifetime event who grew stronger as a result of what happened.
I’ve also known people who had a lifetime event who did not ever recover from their loss. They remained “stuck” forever in that time period.
They chose not to grow as a result of what happened to them.
Those life changing events can (big emphasis on can) bring about positive changes in our lives. The can also serve as a continuous stumbling block that prevent us from growing and changing.
Major life changing events like getting married, divorce, or losing a partner to death tend to have a ripple affect on our lives. Everything seems to change. It may change where you live, where you go to church, where you go to the bank, and even where you shop for groceries.
While those things may not seem out of the ordinary, when you experience several changes all at once it can be a bit overwhelming.
Psychologists have studied and written about how those life changing events impact our personalities and our choices for the future.
Today’s scripture offers us concrete ways to grow through life changing events. I say that because when we are faced with many changes all at once (say for instance after divorce or death of a partner), it’s helpful to be intentional about relying on God for help.
Psalm 37:5-6 tells us to make a commitment to God. Trust that God will follow through. Speaking words of trust is important to you because you are saying to yourself you trust God.
Leaning on God during that time will be a faith builder for you. Once you are settled into your new life, you will remember how God cared for you and provided new ways for you to live. Being intentional about leaning on God will change and deepen your relationship with God.
Giving or enacting faith is a tricky thing for some people. Remember a tiny mustard seed of faith is all we need (Matthew 17:20). Verbally speak words of faith when you are struggling. Tell God you believe. Think of it this way, if you have a child who is struggling and afraid, but they are reminded to verbally repeatedly say ‘I believe’, they will believe and remember believing.
If a child repeatedly says, ‘I don’t believe’, that’s what their brain will hear and do. Our human brain is a powerful tool. Speaking words of belief strengthen your belief.
Any manner of believing (absolutely at any level) calls God to action. Even if you struggle to believe you can say you believe in God/Jesus. Believing in God means you believe God is real and has real power to act and God will act.
We do not always know exactly how God will act, but God will act.
When King David wrote this song to God he had experienced God’s righteousness in his own life. He knew God’s light was shining on him and God would not fail him.
David had some really difficult years during the end of King Saul’s reign. King Saul was very jealous of David the shepherd boy. David was a gifted musician and he was a great communicator. David was a great marksman. He was also a poet.
Truthfully, Saul feared David.
Everyone loved David and that made him Saul’s greatest enemy.
In addition to that, David was faithful to God. Others knew David and God were a team.
We know from I Samuel 13:8-14 and I Samuel 15:17-19 that Saul had taken matters into his own hands and he was disobedient to God. In I Samuel 15:23 we read, “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
King Saul made a choice. He chose to turn from God. Saul made the choice. God’s light (righteousness) revealed the true character of Saul and David.
Through it all, God was faithful. God is righteous. God is committed to us.
Spiritual Practice: Commit
Commit YOUR way to the Lord.
In God, Deborah
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