BOLD Christian Outreach Reflections from Psalm 37

Subtitle: Let it Go, Trust in the LORD

Psalm 37:1-10 (GW)
¹  Do not be preoccupied with evildoers. Do not envy those who do wicked things.
²  They will quickly dry up like grass and wither away like green plants.
³  Trust the LORD, and do good things. Live in the land, and practice being faithful.
⁴  Be happy with the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵  Entrust your ways to the LORD. Trust him, and he will act {on your behalf}.
⁶  He will make your righteousness shine like a light, your just cause like the noonday sun.
⁷  Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with {an evildoer} who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes.
⁸  Let go of anger, and leave rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil.
⁹  Evildoers will be cut off {from their inheritance}, but those who wait with hope for the LORD will inherit the land. ¹⁰  In a little while a wicked person will vanish. Then you can carefully examine where he was, but there will be no trace of him.
(God’s Word, Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society, www.godsword.org)

There seems to be a preoccupation with evildoers these days. It makes news; something exciting to talk about, it sparks our curiosity. Every night the news is filled with some story about an evildoer, such as, ISIS and the war against anyone ISIS considers an infidel. Or the battle against God’s design for marriage, or the behavior of an extremist gunmen, or the defense of those who hold a total disregard for unborn children, and the list goes on and on. Little is said about the rejection of God’s Word and warnings of condemnation for not following God’s commandments, but that would be politically incorrect and biased and might cause the feelings of non-believers to be hurt.

Scientism has become our new standard for religion. Human reason, lust, the fulfillment of personal desires, financial security, sexual freedom, entertainment, personal achievements, and PC (Pseudo Christ – the LOVE God who looks the other way and says “That’s OK, enjoy yourselves, I’ll always love you.”), have become alternate idols to bow down and worship. Evolution has become the acceptable explanation for the origin of earth and mankind. Equality will soon mean equal to all other animals on the planet with equal protection against use for food, clothing, or death for the benefit of mankind. (Unless you are an unwanted, or unplanned, unborn baby human – no assumed rights will be granted; however, if a dog or cat were treated the same way unborn children are treated PETA would be all up in arms about the inhumanity of the treatment.)

So much for my venting, it is easy to become preoccupied by the actions of evildoers. God has a few choice words of advice for me.  “Do not be preoccupied with evildoers. Do not envy those who do wicked things. They will quickly dry up like grass and wither away like green plants.”  Psalm 37:1-2

My LORD has promised to provide forgiveness of sin for me, for you, for ALL of us who place our trust in HIM. The evildoers do not believe in the LORD. Anyone who does not believe in the forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ’s death will not receive forgiveness, without forgiveness the penalty for sin remains intact. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God in a place we call Hell.

The evildoer has only one hope for salvation; it is the same as ours, which is forgiveness through Jesus Christ. They need our pity. They need our prayers. They need our presence. They need to be shown the love of Jesus Christ. Do not become angry with those who are doing evil for they do not know what they are doing. They are under the control of their master, Satan. They need to be set free.

On this side of heaven we struggle with sin and the temptation to chase after evil desires, or lustful pleasures. Daily we need to be set free from sin that would keep us from trusting in Jesus Christ. Daily we need to surrender ourselves to the LORD. Daily we need to wait with hope for the LORD who delivers us from sin. Once we were evildoers, but now we are forgiven. Our past deeds are forgotten by the LORD who erases all of our sin.

“Surrender yourself to the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Do not be preoccupied with {an evildoer} who succeeds in his way when he carries out his schemes. Let go of anger, and leave rage behind. Do not be preoccupied. It only leads to evil. Evildoers will be cut off {from their inheritance}, but those who wait with hope for the LORD will inherit the land. In a little while a wicked person will vanish. Then you can carefully examine where he was, but there will be no trace of him.” Psalm 37:7-10

If God can forgive my sin, He can also forgive the sins of those who haven’t yet trusted in Him. Our BOLD Outreach Promise in this chapter is that everyone who trusts in the LORD will be made righteous. Their sin will be removed and they will inherit eternal life.

“Entrust your ways to the LORD. Trust him, and he will act {on your behalf}. He will make your righteousness shine like a light, your just cause like the noonday sun.” Psalm 37:5-6