Psalm 37 has been an encouragement to me the past couple weeks. Verses 3 and 4 say "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
In order to taste and see that our Lord is good, we have to be seeking Him by spending time with Him in His word and in prayer (which is really just talking to Him like you would a close friend). I have found that the more time I spend with Him and get to know Him, the more I delight in Him. The life application helps from my Bible say: "David calls us to take delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do (our "way") to Him. How do we do this? To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in His or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God's great love for us will indeed give us delight."
The first part of verse 5 says to "Commit your way to the Lord." The application for that verse says: "to commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything--our lives, families, jobs, possessions--to His control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in Him believing that He can care for us better that we can care for ourselves. We should wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us."
Since my husband, Ty, died over a year ago, I have experienced Jesus care for me like never before. I choose to trust Him on my worst days and on my best days and He always meets my needs and loves me. Psalm 37:23,24 says: "If the Lord delights in a man's way, He will make His steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." From the life application commentary: "The person in whom God delights is one who follows God, trusts Him and tries to do His will. God watches over and makes firm every step that person takes. If you would like to have God direct your way, then seek His advice before you step out."
It's so encouraging to me to know that God delights in me and promises to lead me, but I have to choose to trust Him and follow His leading. Jesus continues to remind me that He is enough--that no person or thing can come before Him. I continue to find that in my most lonely moments only He can give me peace, joy, and the desire to keep going. In Charles Stanley's book, "The Source of My Strength", he encouraged me with these words: "The close communion that the Lord desires and is willing to experience with us is something we can count on, even if everyone abandons us." Again, He is enough!!
Jesus continues to become dearer to me every day. I still don't like going places alone (without Ty), but those times are getting a bit easier as I lean more and more on Jesus and rest in His love for me. Also, Jesus always reminds me that I'm never alone--He's with me wherever I go!.
The following devotional taken from the book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young talks about that reliance on Jesus. It's written as if Jesus is talking to you. "Give yourself fully to the adventure of today. Walk boldly along the path of life, relying on your ever-present companion. You have every reason to be confident, because My Presence accompanies you all the days of your life--and onward into eternity. Do not give in to fear and worry, those robbers of abundant living. Trust me enough to face problems as they come rather than trying to anticipate them. Fix your eyes on Me, the Author and Perfecter of your faith, and many difficulties on the road ahead will vanish before you reach them. Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am holding you by your right hand. Nothing can separate you from My Presence!"
It's such a comfort to me to know that Jesus is holding my hand and walking right beside me. I can say boldly and with unwavering confidence that Jesus is enough. He is the only one who can meet your needs and give you joy and a peace beyond understanding no matter what circumstances you're going through. Reach out to Him today. He is enough and He is the BEST
