THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Lord, how angry did the psalmist get? Was he frustrated, unable to do anything about the wickedness and corruption he saw going unpunished? (Psalm 37). Thankfully Your Spirit showed him how the dangers of letting his righteous anger become revenge-anger could turn him into someone like the wicked he wanted to destroy. Instead, the psalmist chose to handle his anger Your way.

“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper,”—Psalm 37:3

Lord, amid the corruption of his day, the psalmist took a stand. He chose to do the right thing in all his dealings, even if doing right might cost him personally. Unleashing his revenge anger toward the wicked would only harden his heart. Though the wicked hypocritically virtue-signaled their actions at all that is holy and good, the psalmist made other conscious choices:

“I will stop being angry. I will turn from my rage. I will not lose my temper over the evil actions I cannot control. It only leads to harm”—Psalm 37:8

The psalmist realized allowing his emotions dictate his responses over situations out of his control would only lead to harm—harm to his physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, and shatter his peace of mind and smother the joy within his soul.

Lord, reading Psalm 37 is like reading today’s paper. May we as Christ-followers choose to live by these timeless truths of Your wisdom. We trust You will deal with the corruption and wickedness in Your timing while we as Christ-followers take a stand for You before this evil world.In Your authority, Jesus, amen