06 Sep Prayers of Trust and Stillness
Prayer is an alternative in the Bible to fretting. Prayer expresses faith and dependence on God even in unfavorable circumstances. In Psalm 37:1-7, David exhorts not to fret, but to trust God, to delight in the LORD, to commit your way to Him, and to be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Be encouraged to pray this passage into your life, adjust your heart and mind to God’s principles and instruction, and to acknowledge the promises He has given.
37:1 says “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong.” These are valuable words any time, but increasingly essential with our changing culture, government corruption, failing justice system and relationships in every-day life. Why die a thousand deaths dreading what may happen in the future? Why be envious of the apparent success of those who oppose godliness? “Fret” here means to be inflamed or burning with anger. This is a natural response to injustice. David emphasized that these people will not endure. Don’t fret. Pray.
“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” (vs. 2) This confident hope placed in the LORD brings us almost to a mindset of being unconcerned about our fears. We can trust our Lord. We are to do what we are supposed to do (good), be where we are supposed to be (land), and receive what we are supposed to receive (pasture).
Verse 4 beautifully calls us to, “Delight yourselves in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I often pray with others – “Lord please lay your heart over our hearts.” We want His passions, His desires, His character, His purposes, and His ways. When we pray from our hearts what is on His heart, He will answer and we will have the desires of our hearts.
“Commit your way to the LORD….” (vs. 5) Your righteousness and justice will shine in such a way that they will be unavoidably displayed to all. People are often over committed to things that compete with or weigh down their commitments to God. “Commit” is the word used to roll a large stone from one place to another. The idea is to roll our anger and worries like a big stone off of us and onto the LORD. He carries our burdens, especially in prayer.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him….” (vs. 7) This practice is foreign to many. We can choose to quiet ourselves before the Lord in the Word, in prayer, and even in stillness and calmness. Being still is not the same as doing nothing. We listen, we fellowship in the Holy Spirit, and we enjoy His presence all resulting in worship. Sometimes the Lord brings us to situations beyond our control, and we find that being still and waiting on Him are our only options. “Wait” is a word referring to child birth. It is tough to go through this, but it has a wonderful, blessed outcome.
As you pray, trust, delight, commit and be still and wait all in the LORD. See God’s promises unfold as He carries your burdens and ministers to you.
Greg Murphy – Pastor of Pastoral Care, Prayer, and Recovery