And in the days of famine, they shall be satisfied.

But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

As believers we need to be able to hold more than one thing at a time. In so many instances of life two different things can be going on at the same time. One of the characteristics of an adult mindset is the ability to hold truths in tension. This is particularly true when we look at the contrasting works of God and the Devil in this present world.

And in the days of famine, they shall be satisfied.

Another difficult “day” spoken of in the scripture is the day of famine. Until Jesus returns, our world is subject to a curse that causes the earth to switch violently between cycles of plenty and lack. Modern agricultural science and rapid transport have done much to limit the effects of famine in much of the world. But the economics of famine are still very real. Famine in the bible is a term that describes a lack of food or material goods due to blight, drought, war, and climatic disaster.

They shall not be ashamed in the evil time

Difficult times come for all of us. This is an inevitable part of living in fallen bodies in a fallen world that is still mainly under the influence of a fallen angel (1 John 5:19 NIV). Jesus spoke of Satan often and with clarity. Jesus didn’t hold back when teaching about him. He called Satan a liar, thief, murderer, adversary, and slanderer.

The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.

In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of two men: a selfish wealthy landowner and a homeless beggar with a disfiguring skin disease named Lazarus. Though the circumstances of each man were vastly different, the soul of Lazarus was righteous before God, while the rich man's soul was corrupted with materialism and pride. The rich man passed Lazarus daily, ignoring his condition – although he had the power and wealth to change it.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous.

In Luke 15, we find the parable of the prodigal son. Though he was born into a loving Jewish home and raised in privilege, there came a point where he felt he needed something else. Undoubtedly, the religious duties and social obligations of being part of a prominent family-ranching business felt constricting to this curious and bored young man. So, one day, he demanded an advance on his inheritance, left his family, and traveled to Las Vegas to explore the nightlife. Well, not Las Vegas – but you get the idea. He was looking to find himself. The Bible says he spent it all on pleasures of the flesh and riotous living. When his money ran out, so did his new “friends.” Just then, an economic downturn set in, and work became scarce. To survive, he took a job from a pagan farmer, feeding his pigs and living off the leftovers. This privileged and reckless Jewish boy was only then ready to face the reality of what he had done to himself.

A little that a righteous man has [Is] better than the riches of many wicked.

Today's passage emphasizes that all you have is all you need. The story of Moses in the Old Testament serves as a poignant example. When God called him to free the children of Israel from Pharoah, Moses initially felt his resources were insufficient. Throughout their conversation, Moses doubted and even questioned how people would believe God had sent him. God redirected Moses's focus to what was in his hands in response. This theme of utilizing what is at hand is recurrent in scripture, encouraging us to leverage our present resources and positions to glorify and honor God.

The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their heart, And their bows shall be broken.

In today's reflection on Psalms 37:14-15, the vivid imagery of drawn swords and bent bows brings to light the malicious intent of the wicked. This portrayal signifies that the enemy is actively seeking to harm and oppress individuals, explicitly targeting the poor, the needy, and those with upright conduct. This imagery serves as a poignant reminder of today's challenges and injustices.

The wicked plots against the just And gnashes at him with his teeth.

The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.

God laughs. Think about that for a moment. Most people associate the most powerful being in the universe with concepts like majesty, perfection, purity, and judgment. But according to our reading, God has a sense of humor, too. What’s worthy of our attention is what He finds so funny in this verse. The Psalmist states that the thing provokes God to giggle is when the enemy plots schemes against you and me!

But the meek shall inherit the earth And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Meekness is not a virtue that most of us want to associate with. We think of meek people as being riddled with insecurity and weakness – unable to fend for themselves. However, the biblical quality of meekness is quite different from these modern notions. The Hebrew word is Anvav, best translated as “humble, gentle, without an inflated sense of self-importance.” God is not promoting self-hatred or low self-esteem here. Jesus is our perfect example.

For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked [shall be] no [more]; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it [shall be] no [more].

Sometimes, it’s helpful to remember that there is no angel, devil, or human in God's universe who really “gets away” with anything. God keeps the books on the righteous and the wicked - and He is an excellent bookkeeper. Every action thought, and deed is known to the Lord and will be rewarded with perfect grace or judgment in this life or the next.

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm.

One way or the other, we all get mad. While the things that get us torqued, ticked and triggered are different for every person, each of us has a button somewhere inside our souls that makes us see red. And, we all must learn what to do when it gets pushed. It may not seem pleasant feeling it or discussing it. Yet, anger is an integral part of our universal part or our shared human experience. It also happens to be something about which God’s Word has a lot to say.

This is the second time Psalm 37 directs us not to fret over the apparent success of those who operate in deceit. In this case, it refers to the inner agitation that arises when we see manipulators succeed. But this inner anxiety can also result from spending too much time looking at anyone who appears to be enjoying success and freedom when we are not. No generation has had to contend with envy, jealousy, and insecurity like we do today.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

For most of us, patience is not our strongest quality. Our minds and bodies have a natural bias towards movement and activity. And waiting for anything feels like a waste of time to most of us. We are always looking for life’s “cheat codes”. Whether it’s hunting for the shortest checkout line, googling hacks, eating another meal in our car while driving, or paying extra to skip lines at airports and amusement parks, our culture has developed an allergy to waiting.

We get to choose many paths we walk in life's journey. While God has a plan for each of us, he allows us to choose our path to get there. This requires us to seek Him for wisdom and guidance. It means we must decide about the paths we take and how we will live our lives before Him. In choosing our ways, we sometimes do our best to make good decisions but inadvertently choose paths we regret later. When this happens, we re-evaluate our choices, reorient to our desired destination, and find a new way to get there. But sometimes, we willfully choose to wander from God’s path. Like the prophet said, “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way…” (Isa. 53:6). In these cases, we must be restored.

4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

What do you delight in? What lifts your joy, causes you to laugh, and makes you smile? This verse invites us to delight ourselves in the Lord. The word translated as “delight” is a Hebrew word that means to “be light, to bubble with happiness, to make merry and have fun.” Think about this: The Lord wants you to have fun in your relationship with Him! Many people imagine God as a demanding and slightly annoyed father who is always looking for us to perform better, pray a little longer, work harder, etc. But God wants us to have joy as we walk with Him. While following Jesus involves self-denial and obedience, the things we surrender are actually weights from which He longs to free us!

“…Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

When the Lord brought the Children of Israel into the promised land, He told them they would face enemies. He told them these enemies would always be at work to erode their peace, steal their prosperity, and corrupt their worship. His solution was for them to dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness simply. The presence of the enemy around you does not have to rob you of the blessings He has given you. We must learn to dwell in God’s Spirit and dwell on His word. We are instructed to take our attention off the enemy’s threats and feed our hearts and minds on the faithfulness He has demonstrated.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good…

I love the order of these instructions in Psalm 37:3. Trust always goes before performance. Religion is focused on doing good things to achieve status with God. It demands good deeds to prove your faith. The idea is that if you do enough good deeds, you’ll eventually find peace. But in God’s mind, this is backward. Faith in God is always first. This alone brings inner peace. Only once we have placed our trust in God can we clearly see the good things He has planned for us to achieve.

In today's world, trust is a rare commodity. There was a time when business was conducted on a handshake and a person’s word. If someone broke their word, they were considered a pariah, and their reputation was “canceled”. Today, it’s hard to know who or what to trust. Businesses, institutions, media, governments, religious authorities, and most people regularly break their word with little or no consequences. Yet without trust, we can have no inner peace. We must anchor our hearts somewhere to function

It is easy to get worked up when you see wickedness prosper. This should be familiar to us. Since the fall of Adam, evil has been at work in the world, opposing God and His people. The evil we face is often the work of invisible forces against us through others.

As we begin our 40-day journey today, read through the entire chapter of Psalm 37. As you read, notice the contrasts between the righteous and wicked and between the futures promised for each.