Trust, do good, dwell, feed and delight.
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:1-4)
I have always appreciated Psalm 37. The opening verses are a helpful way to approach each day. It begins by telling us not to be anxious about the evil we see in the world. It doesn’t say we shouldn’t care or be concerned about its effects, but that we should not worry. It reminds us that this world and its judgment are in the hands of God. There is a peace in knowing that ultimately God will address all this world’s ills in perfect righteousness. But the Psalmist is concerned about how we should live in such circumstances, and he encourages us to “trust in the Lord, and do good”. There is a great simplicity in this Psalm that provides us with a clear spiritual pathway. The Psalm focuses our faith on the Lord and, in doing so, equips us to do good. The Lord will guide us each day in “paths of righteousness” (Psalm 23:3) and enable us to follow the One who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38).
The Psalm then encourages us to “dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness”. Of course, the Psalmist was thinking of God’s people dwelling in the physical land He had given them and enjoying His great faithfulness, which was new every morning. For us, it is an illustration of possessing all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. These include His love, mercy and grace towards us, our salvation, sanctification and the hope we have in Christ. These spiritual blessings are to be known and enjoyed, and should empower us. And God’s faithfulness to us in Christ encourages and sustains our daily trust in Him:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV)
But then he adds:
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
The focus here is not on our blessings but on the Lord Himself. The essence of communion is that we delight in the Lord. It is what the Saviour meant by “Abide in Me” (John 15:4), and it is what Paul meant when he said, “that I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10). The outcome of this experience is that it shapes our desires.
When God speaks of giving us the desires of our hearts, He does not anticipate those desires being outside His perfect will and purposes, but in harmony with them. We can act in opposition to the will of God and desire things outside that will. In such circumstances, God may allow us to have what we want and send leanness into our souls (Psalm 106:15). But God wants the best for us, and we learn that in the Lord’s presence.
It is a good thing to begin each day trusting in the Lord and being prepared to serve Him. We can reflect on our blessings in Christ and be encouraged by His great faithfulness. But, most of all, we can experience the glory and the grace of the Person who is our Saviour. Knowing Christ and delighting in Him transforms us into the people God’s want us to be; communion with Christ makes us Christlike.
