I’ve been going through a bit of a trial lately. Without going into too much detail, I’ve basically been accused of willfully and knowingly deceiving a certain group. This came as a shock to me since I was as open and honest as possible with this group of people and always strived to be communicative and compliant with anything asked of me. Not only has it been difficult being called a liar, but there are potential financial ramifications involved. Needless to say, I was a bit stressed, frustrated and angry when this all started. However, I was able to prepare my case and make a defense before my accusers. Then I had to wait for the results. Waiting was the hard part because I kept going over the conversation in my head. Did I say everything I should have? Was my defense strong enough? Then I found out I missed the results letter and had to wait another day to get it. Instead of being patient and trusting the Lord, I let the stress and anger in my flesh come out against those who love me the most. When I confessed my sin and asked for forgiveness, I received this Scripture as a word of encouragement:

“Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.”

Psalm 37:4-8 (NASB)

While the journey isn’t over with this situation, I needed this reminder that the Lord is just and knows those who are His. Even if I don’t see how things turn out now, I know the end result: the Lord justifies the righteous and punishes the wicked. That truth will never change. My hope and trust should always be in Him no matter what the world tries to do. It is only victorious when I turn away from the Lord and listen to what it says about me. Rather, my focus should be that the Creator of the universe cares so much about me that He knows everything about what I’m going through and what the outcome will be. This Scripture illustrates that my actions ought to be directed towards God, not the world: 

I am to delight in Him. 

I am to commit my way to Him. 

I am to rest in Him. 

I am to wait patiently for Him. 

He will take care of the rest. It is my human, fleshly nature that wants to control everything about my life, thinking that I know better than the Lord. But in fact, I am one in Spirit with Him (John 17: 20-21; 1 Corinthians 6:17). Isn’t that amazing?! Not only am I made in the image of God, but I have a part of Him IN me as a believer in Christ, as do all of us who have accepted Christ. Paul writes about this in his letters to the churches:

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:16-17

This battle with our flesh and spirit is real. We all feel it every day. Imagine who we would be individually and as a church if we truly walked by the Spirit, denying our flesh its desires. We will never be perfect until we’re with the Lord, but wow, what an impact we’d have in our families, churches, work places, and anywhere we went! While such a feat feels impossible, the Lord is always with us, and as a Father who loves His children, He desires for us to place our hope, trust and rest in Him.

The Lord knows my situation and yours. Let us pray for one another and encourage one another in the truth of His Word. We are already victorious in Him!

~~~

As a way to help me remember this Scripture, I used AI to help create a song based on Psalm 37 called “Delight in the Lord”: Delight in the Lord

© Lauren Demuth