Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. (3,4)

Here the style of proverbs is introduced: if you ‘trust in the Lord’ then ‘you will live safely in the land… Trust is the most important issue in this psalm. It is placing our full confidence in God and his ways. De- light is to be ‘inwardly happy’ with God no matter how much the wicked prosper around us. Two rewards are promised to those who trust and delight in God, the first is outward: land and prosperity, the second is inward: he will give us our hearts desire.

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.” (5,6)

Solomon takes the themes presented by his father in this psalm and makes them the foundation for his life and ministry: “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understand- ing. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.”(Pr. 3:5,6)

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”(7)

Two powerful qualities for a strong inner life are presented to us, stillness, (or quietness), and pa- tience. We are to recognize when God is the only one who can accomplish certain things and it is then we bring the inner discipline of quietness and patience into play. Our stillness and trust in God can often accomplish more than a lifetime of nervous effort.

“ Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others-it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.”(8,9)

Jesus picks up the theme of anger in the Sermon on the Mount: “ But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! “(Mt. 5:22) Anger never accomplishes God’s purpose; it kills everything good about the ‘inner life.’ Envy is anger’s cousin and here David raises the spiritual stan- dard by telling us that we are not to envy anyone, bad or good.

Possessing the land is a major theme of this psalm; here are the qualifications David presents to us:

• “ …but those who trust the Lord will possess the land. (9) • “ Those who are gentle and lowly will possess the land. (11) • “ Those blessed by the Lord will inherit the land…(22) • Those who “turn from evil and do good…will live in the land forever.”(27) • “ The godly will inherit the land and live there forever.” (29) • Those who “Travel steadily along his path…giving you the land.” (34)

Because Solomon followed his father’s instructions in his early reign, he ruled over the largest king- dom in Israel’s history.

“ In a little while, the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. Those who are gentle and lowly will possess the land; they will live in prosperous security. (10, 11)

The last instructions for developing a powerful inner life involve gentleness and humility. These qual- ities mean that the strength God has given you is under His control and you are using your abilities for his purposes and the benefit of others.

II. INVESTMENTS OF LIFE - (12-26)

This section that focuses upon finances begins with the destination of evil people. • They face a day of certain judgment before God: “ The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance. But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.”(12,13)

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