Valentines Day--and the Desires of Your Heart

It's taking me a long time to read through Psalm 37 as usual. 

Matthew Henry's commentary says that while most of the Psalms are songs or praises or laments or meditations talking to and about God,

 this is one of the rare teaching Psalms, full of instruction.

Here are some golden nuggets, shining like the sunset glow out of the windows of our humble prairie home the other evening. 

Jonathan called me outside to look, and we stood gazing at the stunning view of sunset,

and the windows glowing.

And this is one of those Psalms where you gaze over and over at the stunning simplicity and wonder of God's way, the way He wants us to take when we feel unhappy about the unfairness of life.

Here the Psalmist first instructs us on what not to do:

"Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity."

Remember their end.

:"They shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb."

(And no, I did not set up this photo--the cat really was sitting on top of the car engine.)

And what to do.

Trust in the Lord, and do good.

Dwell in the land and ...be fed.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(These are photos the children took of their bunnies.)

"Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

Trust.

Dwell.

Delight.

Commit.

Rest.

Wait.

And for a second and third time--

"Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

do not fret--it only causes harm."

Those who pursue righteousness instead of pursuing prosperity,

who choose the way of the cross instead of the way of the crowd

will find it easy to fret when hard but right choices do not result in prosperity but rather adversity.

 And so God's Word reminds us over and over, 

don't waste your time and energy fretting about this conundrum.

Continue to trust and commit and delight and rest and wait on the Lord.

Someday He will make it all right.

Those whose choices for God and righteousness and honesty 

made them poorer on this earth

shall someday be made heirs of all.

For the "little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked."

"The Lord upholds the righteous.

The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever."

"I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."
[Instead, they are making oatmeal raisin cookies and taking doughnuts to share with the AA group meeting in the dance hall across the street from our church Sunday morning, as our pastor wants to let them know that there are people who care about them.]

"His descendants are blessed...

For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints...

He is their strength in the time of trouble."

 Can't you hear Him calling from heaven's golden windows, 

"Happy Valentines Day to all whose hearts delight themselves in Me!"