I wanted to share one more reflection on Psalm 37. When reading it as a part of the Psalter in the Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 37 is split into two parts. I want to focus on the second part today. You can read part one here.

Here is the full text below:

⁹ The LORD cares for the lives of the godly, *

and their inheritance shall last for ever.

²⁰ They shall not be ashamed in bad times, *

and in days of famine they shall have enough.

²¹ As for the wicked, they shall perish, *

and the enemies of the LORD, like the glory of the meadows, shall vanish;

they shall vanish like smoke.

²² The wicked borrow and do not repay, *

but the righteous are generous in giving.

²³ Those who are blessed by God shall possess the land, *

but those who are cursed by him shall be destroyed.

²⁴ Our steps are directed by the LORD; *

he strengthens those in whose way he delights.

²⁵ If they stumble, they shall not fall headlong, *

for the LORD holds them by the hand.

²⁶ I have been young and now I am old, *

but never have I seen the righteous forsaken,

or their children begging bread.

²⁷ The righteous are always generous in their lending, *

and their children shall be a blessing.

²⁸ Turn from evil, and do good, *

and dwell in the land for ever.

²⁹ For the LORD loves justice; *

he does not forsake his faithful ones.

³⁰ They shall be kept safe for ever, *

but the offspring of the wicked shall be destroyed.

³¹ The righteous shall possess the land *

and dwell in it for ever.

³² The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, *

and their tongue speaks what is right.

³³ The law of their God is in their heart, *

and their footsteps shall not falter.

³⁴ The wicked spy on the righteous *

and seek occasion to kill them.

³⁵ The LORD will not abandon them to their hand, *

nor let them be found guilty when brought to trial.

³⁶ Wait upon the LORD and keep his way; *

he will raise you up to possess the land,

and when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

³⁷ I have seen the wicked in their arrogance, *

flourishing like a tree in full leaf.

³⁸ I went by, and behold, they were not there; *

I searched for them, but they could not be found.

³⁹ Mark those who are honest;

observe the upright; *

for there is a future for the peaceable.

⁴⁰ Transgressors shall be destroyed, one and all; *

the future of the wicked is cut off.

⁴¹ But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD; *

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

⁴² The LORD will help them and rescue them; *

he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,

because they seek refuge in him.

The main trust of this psalm is this: God cares for those whom God loves, so God will care for them, protect them, provide for them, and deliver them. One of the large ways God does this is by being just and dealing accordingly with the wicked. The righteous, then, can live in such a way that shows they truly believe this to be true about God, by way of generosity, living peaceably, dwelling wherever they are, and entrusting themselves to the  strength and power of God.

I wonder, though, how many of our decisions in life are motivated by a deep, unspoken belief that God is not working for our good, that God doesn’t really care for us, God won’t provide for us, and that God has left things up to us to take from here.

Yes, I realize this is a blunt statement and certainly doesn’t jive with our stated professions of faith. I can already hear the cries of “Deism!” and “Heresy!”, with which I certainly agree. Be that as it may, I think this psalm speaks to our struggle to truly believe (at a core level) what we confess or profess to believe (at a surface level). And we can see this in our fears and actions. We are not really believing what we confess to believe.

When there is injustice around us (and it certainly abounds!) I know my first impulse is to get angry and wonder,”What are we going to do about this?” This is not a bad question at all. But, if it is not tempered with, “What is God doing about it and what will God do about it?” then we may need to step back and ask ourselves, “How can I actively trust God’s presence and work in the world to right this injustice?” Notice, this is very different from “letting go and letting God” (I have a whole rant on that phrase I will spare you from, for now!). Nor is this just pure activism. It is active and faithful presence, rooted in the beautiful reality of God’s greater care for justice than my own.

Quite simply put, God cares more about justice than we ever could, and God can bring about justice in ways we never can. So, this can free us to live generously, compassionately, peacefully, and faithfully; knowing we are participating with God in this powerful and restorative work in the world. God will help. God will rescue. God will deliver. And God invites us to join in this work! What a privilege!

My question today is: When I see the wicked prospering and evil abounding, even amongst those who claim to follow Jesus, how can I engage from a place of deep trust in God’s work and desires, not simply from my own anger or fear?