The poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling begins, “if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…”.

Hundreds of times a day we make choices and decisions. There are the routine choices – when to get up, what to wear, what to eat, when to go to bed. And there are the big decisions – “Should I see the doctor about this”? What bills should I pay and which ones can wait”? “Which job should I take”? “I’m so unhappy, should I leave my husband”? Pretty much all of life is a series of choices and decisions, a lot of “ifs”.

As we read through Psalm 37 I think one thing we are learning is that our choices, every decision, has consequences. One important point before we go on, the bible says “be angry and do not sin” so we can conclude that there is anger that is not sinful, that will be a discussion for another time. Our passage today is talking about another kind of anger, the kind that does lead to sin.

In these two verses we see first of all that anger is a choice, if it were not we would not be told to cease from it. The Hebrew word for cease here is raphah, it means to be quiet, to relax, to let go. Easy to do? Not at all. Necessary? Absolutely! Read on.

Next we see the consequences of giving in to our anger. This is where it gets real. The Psalmist tells us that this anger leads to evildoing. We are also told that giving in to anger brings division. It will cause us to be “cut off”. Pause for a minute to think about all that implies. Think about the times you have allowed your anger to take control. I could give you a list of potential consequences but I’m sure you have your own.

Finally, we are given the alternative to our anger. All is not lost, we have a “but” (I love it when God say “but” don’t you?) “But those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land”. What a promise! It’s a two-fold promise. It’s a promise of power, the power we have through Christ to control our anger. It’s a promise of blessing.

We will talk about this more tomorrow as we examine the next verses. Until then, we have a lot to chew on.

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

In these uncertain times we have many worries. At some point in our lives we will all face serious issues. You may have heard it said that you have either gone through a storm, are going through a storm, or will go through a storm? It’s true isn’t it? It seems, as we say, “its always something”. The question then remains, what do we do? How do we navigate through these seemingly endless storms?

My dog Maggie is terribly afraid of storms. She can hear the thunder in the distance before my husband or I have any inkling a storm is coming. At the very first signs she begins to pant and pace. No matter what room she is in, she will go to a corner and begin to claw at the wall in an effort to “escape”.

The Hebrew word for fret is charah, it means to be hot, angry, or to burn oneself in vexation. Websters defines it as “to affect something by eating or gnawing away”. Sounds serious doesn’t it? But isn’t that mostly how we approach the strains of life? Like Maggie, we pace and pant and claw, looking for a way to escape.

The only thing that gives Maggie any measure of calmness or comfort during a storm is to put her in her kennel and cover it with a blanket. Of course it doesn’t make the thunder and lightning go away, it just hides her from the storm until it passes.

In today’s reading the Psalmist is telling us we need not fret over the struggles of this life. He reminds us that even in the fiercest storm, we can have peace. If we are in Christ, He is our refuge, He is our hiding place. Jesus Himself said it in the final verse of John 16; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Lord, help us to wait gently and to find our rest in You. Keep us mindful that the worries of this life, like the summer storm, are fleeting. They may come in making a lot of noise but in the end are but a whisper; a puff of wind that will quickly pass. Thank You Lord that through it all, You are our hiding place.

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

The first five verses of Psalm 37 give us the conditions; trust God, stay faithful to Him, delight in Him, commit your ways to Him. Now, here in verse 6, we are told the outcome.

What we do in this life, how we obey, how we serve, how we follow Christ. will ultimately be revealed and recompensed by God. Here is the good news, you will note the scripture does not tell us to practice these things so we will – it says He will! He will bring forth our righteousness, He will bring forth our judgment. If we are to judge rightly, to be discerning Christians, we must commit ourselves to the study of God’s word. If we are to display the righteousness Christ has imparted to us. To be the salt and light we are called to be, we must remain continuously connected to the source of that righteousness – Jesus.

In his commentary on this Psalm 37:6, Matthew Henry wrote: “If we take care to keep a good conscience, we may leave it to God to take care of our good name”.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to test ourselves, to examine ourselves. With that in mind, look again at the exhortations in Psalm 37:1-5, ask yourself, “when it comes to trust, faithfulness, commitment, how do I measure up? Where can I do better”?

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!
(Refrain)

No friend like Him is so high and holy,
No, not one! No, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly,
No, not one! No, not one!
(Refrain)

There’s not an hour that He is not near us,
No, not one! No, not one!
No night so dark but His love can cheer us,
No, not one! No, not one!
(Refrain)

Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him?
No, not one! No, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him?
No, not one! No, not one!
(Refrain)

Was e’er a gift like the Savior given?
No, not one! No, not one!
Will He refuse us a home in heaven?
No, not one! No, not one!
(Refrain)

Refrain:
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

We can promote a cheerful heart by dwelling on the bright things of our lot; by counting up the mercies which are left, rather than dwelling on what we have lost. When the heart is full of the light and love of God, can it be other than cheerful? How can this be obtained except by a living union with Jesus Christ. In Him there is an infinitude of supply of peace and joy, sunshine and light. Let us open our hearts to him, and put on these things as we array ourselves each morning in our garments.

On day three we talked about what it means to “delight ourselves in the Lord”. Today we will look at what it means to commit ourselves to the Lord and to put our trust in Him.

Commit. Would you agree that commitment these days is a rare find? You only have to look at the breakdown of the family to know that people are mostly committed to one thing: self. I’m not just talking about the divorce rate, although that is certainly disturbing, but divorce is a symptom and a result of the real issue: a lack of respect for the institute of family structure. I won’t dig into the specifics, you know what they are.

Society’s general attitude is “what I want, when I want it, how I want it”. Sadly, this is the world in which we live; sadly it is an attitude that plagues even the Christian community. Very sadly, this same attitude can extend to our relationship with God. We call on Him to solve our problems (as we should) but do we, as the Psalmist instructs, commit our ways to Him? One aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness. A search of the word “faithful” in scripture has two applications; God’s faithfulness toward His people and the people’s faithfulness to God. God always holds up His end, but do we?

Trust. What about trust? If God is always faithful, which He is, why is it we struggle so with putting our trust in Him? Isaiah records the word of the Lord, “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. (Isaiah 65:24) and in 58:9a), “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.” We could find many, many more verses with God’s assurances that we can trust Him. We may not be able to trust other people or even ourselves, but we can, without reservation, trust God.

The Psalmist words are plain, commit to God, trust God and He will not only meet all your needs, He will fill your life with love in abundance, peace beyond understanding and joy beyond measure.

Lord, help us to be committed to You in our daily walk. Help us to rely on Your faithfulness, to put our trust in You. Lord, help us to see that the victorious life begins and ends with You.

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

We hear a lot these days about how God is so crazy about us that He wants to fill our lives with all that the world has to offer, that He wants to satisfy all our desires. According to one well known speaker, God wants us to have our best life now! And, He makes it so easy. Speak it, believe it, and its yours.

That’s not what the bible says is it? Right here, in these few words, we see a different message. To delight means to find pleasure in, be satisfied, to enjoy. The psalmist begins by telling us to delight in the Lord. How do we that? In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul tells us to examine ourselves, let’s start there.

Our worship. Do we make it more about us than about God? Is it more about our getting those “warm fuzzy” feelings than than about glorifying Christ? Does our worship draw more us into ourselves or closer to God?

Our heart’s desire. Is it for the things of the world or the things of God? Do we long to satisfy our flesh or satisfy the Lord?

He [the Lord] will give. Yes, there it is. There is the promise. I’m sure you’ve heard “the heart wants what it wants”; what is it that your heart wants? When we set our heart on the Lord, when the desire of our heart is less of self and more of Jesus, He will not just give us our desire, He will give abundantly, to overflowing, without measure.

Let our prayer today be “give me more Lord, more of You”.

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

• The Psalmist instruction here is so simple:
  • Trust God
  • Do good
  • Grow in righteousness

Simple, and yet it seems so hard. Notice the order. First snd foremost, we must trust God.

As far as growing in righteousness, that is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within us, a power we receive when we put our trust in God. Left to our own efforts, we fail. Paul writes that it is “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Romans 3:22). The prophet Isaiah tells us that all of our own righteousness is like filthy rags.

Until and unless put our trust in God, in the person of Jesus Christ, the bible teaches that there is no hope for doing good for there nothing good in us.

Where are you? Are you trying in your own effort to “do” or are you trusting God to grow in you His goodness and righteousness?

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

Almost a year ago I began journaling the Psalms. I have now come to Psalm 37 and it is such an encouragement to me I felt compelled to share some of my morning moments with you. It is my prayer and confidence that you will be blessed as I have by the Psalmist words. Sandra

In a world where it seems that evildoers and wrongdoers vastly outnumber those who seek to do what is right, the words of the Psalmist are a good reminder – God is a God of justice.

In these dark days, when it looks like the “bad guys” are winning. In these times when evil is called good and good is called evil, we need this reminder – God is in control!

His word tells us, His lovingkindness never ceases, His compassions never fail, His mercies are new every morning. When we question whether there is any hope, we are reminded – God’s faithfulness is great.

His word says it, its true. When we take Him at His word, we have no cause to fret.

Copyright ©️ 2023 Sandra Bivens Smith. All rights reserved.

Children of the Heavenly Father

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish.
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy