July 21, 2013

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

I said a while back that if inspiration provided, I would — from time to time — concentrate a Sunday devotion on the Sabbath. This is one.

Reading a sermon from G. Campbell Morgan, the Westminster preacher of the last century, I first came across the idea that although Psalm 37 first looks like an inseparable piece, the first seven verses can be thought of as an introduction.

The theme of the Psalm is the problem we still labor with. Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Today, though, I will not pursue that central theme, but the precepts in the first seven verses: Fret not, trust in The Lord, delight yourself in The Lord, commit your ways to Him, rest in Him and wait patiently. Surely those precepts are especially applicable on The Lord’s day?

Fret not thyself because of evildoers. I’m not sure if David was talking to himself or to others when he wrote this Psalm. However it might be, it is clear that he has learnt that the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction are, at worst, short-lived. For ourselves we might recognize that the wicked are of the world — and we are not of the world (John 15:19). On Sunday, above all, set the world aside … don’t worry about it!

Trust in The Lord. One of the first scriptures I memorized was Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

I start my Sunday by trusting the day to Him, and asking Him to make it a day of worship. I was a child when there were still Sabbath-day observance laws. Ours wasn’t any kind of Christian household but still I was aware that Sunday was a different day. Since I’ve become a Christian, and Myra has become recommitted to her Christianity, we have become very aware of the way that — over time — Sunday has become just another day to most people.

Delight in The Lord. Charles Stanley nails this one — “When you are delighted in your relationship with another person, you are fulfilled, complete, satisfied, content, and joyful in your relationship. If you experience such a relationship, many material and physical things usually become very unimportant.…”

Commit your ways to Him. Back to those words from Proverbs. Let God, and His Word be your main guide in decision making — for everything .. in all your ways.

Rest in Him and wait patiently. Be silent and wait patiently. Wait patiently is the most interesting command of all. I thought I knew what “patiently” meant but the Hebrew meaning opened my eyes! It’s not the passive patience that we might think, but more the patience of a woman waiting to give birth. It is the patience that knows there are trials, knows the issues, and is ready to wait. It offers a good task for a Sunday perhaps — think of the issues to come, and keep silent before The Lord.

All in all, these opening verses of Psalm 37 seem to me to offer the perfect Sabbath preparation. Step back from the world, and turn to the Provider God. Fret not, wait patiently.