The Phil Files

Do not fret because of those who are evil
      or be envious of those who do wrong;
   for like the grass they will soon wither,
      like green plants they will soon die away.

   Trust in the LORD and do good;
      dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
   Take delight in the LORD
      and he will give you the desires of your heart.

   Commit your way to the LORD;
      trust in him and he will do this:
   He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
      your vindication like the noonday sun.
   Be still before the LORD
      and wait patiently for him;
   do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
      when they carry out their wicked schemes.

   Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
      do not fret — it leads only to evil.
   For those who are evil will be destroyed,
      but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

   A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
      though you look for them, they will not be found.
   But the meek will inherit the land
      and enjoy peace and prosperity.

   The wicked plot against the righteous
      and gnash their teeth at them;
   but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he knows their day is coming.

   The wicked draw the sword
      and bend the bow
   to bring down the poor and needy,
      to slay those whose ways are upright.
   But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
      and their bows will be broken.

   Better the little that the righteous have
      than the wealth of many wicked;
   for the power of the wicked will be broken,
   but the LORD upholds the righteous.

   The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
      and their inheritance will endure forever.
   In times of disaster they will not wither;
      in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

   But the wicked will perish:
      Though the LORD’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
      they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
   The wicked borrow and do not repay,
      but the righteous give generously;
   those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
   but those he curses will be destroyed.

   The LORD makes firm the steps
      of those who delight in him;
   though they stumble, they will not fall,
   for the LORD upholds them with his hand.

   I was young and now I am old,
      yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
      or their children begging bread.
   They are always generous and lend freely;
      their children will be a blessing.

   Turn from evil and do good;
      then you will dwell in the land forever.
   For the LORD loves the just
      and will not forsake his faithful ones.
   Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;
      the offspring of the wicked will perish.
   The righteous will inherit the land
      and dwell in it forever.

   The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
      and their tongues speak what is just.
   The law of their God is in their hearts;
      their feet do not slip.

   The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
      seeking their very lives;
   but the LORD will not leave them in their power
   or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

   Hope in the LORD
      and keep his way.
   He will exalt you to inherit the land;
      when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

   I have seen the wicked and ruthless
      flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
   but they soon passed away and were no more;
   though I looked for them, they could not be found.

   Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
      a future awaits those who seek peace.
   But all sinners will be destroyed;
      there will be no future for the wicked.

   The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
      he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
   The LORD helps them and delivers them;
      he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
      because they take refuge in him.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 37: Wait patiently for him! — \o/

Repeatedly this psalm reminds us that if our hearts are set on the way of the Lord, He will give us the desire of our hart. For the psalmist and the people of his day, this clearly had to do with regaining control of their la nd — notice how often he talks about inheriiting the land, a phrase Jesus puts in His beattitudes: The meek will inherit the earth.

The tough and vital ingredient for us in these amazing promises, however, ar found in the troubling words, “Wait patiently for him.” Like Isaiah’s incedible promises in 40:28-31. But again, the key is waiting on the Lord. Even though I am getting older, like the psalmist describes himself, I find waitng is not easier, but harder and getting things done for the Kingdom seem even more urgent. Waiting is hard! How about you?

Why not pray for each other’s patient endurance, our ability to be meek, to trust, to desire the things of God, and to … wait!

The LORD is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
  The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

  When the wicked advance against me
    to devour 1 me,
  it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
  Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
  though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

  One thing I ask from the LORD,
    this only do I seek:
  that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
    all the days of my life,
  to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
    and to seek him in his temple.
  For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
  he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
    and set me high upon a rock.

  Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
  at his tabernacle I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the LORD.

  Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
  My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
  Your face, LORD, I will seek.
  Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
  Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
  Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the LORD will receive me.
  Teach me your way, LORD;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
  Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

  I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the LORD
    in the land of the living.
  Wait for the LORD;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the LORD.

\o/ — Comments Psalm 27: I will see the goodness of the LORD! — \o/

The LORD is my light, my salvation, and the stronghold of my life. I believe that. I build my life upon that assurance. I trust this is true.

Even in times of distress, I want to be able to say with integrity and confidence, just like the psamist here, I will see the goodness of the LORD in the Land of the living. I believe the Father not only has a place prepared for me with Him eternally, I also believe that the LORD is working in my life to bless me now. Sometimes, however, I miss seeing those blessings because I am impatient or want them to come to me in different ways.

Yet for me to fully appreciate God’s blessings, I must be willing to wait on the LORD’s timing and grace. I need to be strong and take heart. I can do this, because just like the apostle Paul, I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day (2 Timothy 1:12 TNIV).

So the challenge for me today is to wait … to trust … and to be faithful, all while anticipating the LORD’s blessings in my life. I will wait on the LORD!

More than a decade ago, I was waiting in line at the bank drive through — and yes, Murphy’s law of lines applies to me always: “Whichever line you are in will move most slowly!” — when I heard the dreadful news: the average North American will spend 5-7 years of her or his life waiting in line.

I hate waiting. I really hate it. I’m not good at it. I don’t want to do it. I drive everyone crazy when I have to do it. So you can imagine my eyes stopped at Luke’s description of the Jesus’ command (found in Luke 1, our daily Bible reading today, February 3) to His closest followers before He concluded His time here on good ol’ planet earth:

//Inspiration: Luke 1:4
On one occasion, he [Jesus] gave them [his closest followers] this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.

//Incarnation:
So much had happened in the lives of Jesus and His closest followers. They had failed their faithfulness test: Judas had betrayed his friend Jesus with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver, Peter had cursed and sworn he never knew Jesus, and the other ten of twelve apostles abandoned their Lord and ran away in fear. Hiding in their secure upper room bunker, they had their circuits blown and re-wired by the appearance of Jesus, who showed that He was truly alive and not the figment of their tired, weary, and disbelieving brains. The Lord had restored Peter to leadership and ministry. The Lord had shown Himself alive to hundreds of people. The Lord had opened their minds to understand the promises of the Old Testament made about Him. So why did they need to WAIT?
Two simple reasons. First, Jesus commanded them to wait: the Lord’s command was enough to silence the raging sea of Galilee, cast out demons, and make broken people well. Plus, this time the command came from Jesus risen from the dead. Obedience was enough of a reason to wait. Second, the Lord explains why they needed to wait. They needed to pray and seek God, so that when it was the Father’s timing, Jesus could pour out the Spirit and empower them.
Sometimes, I’m sure more often than I want to admit, I need to hear the Lord’s voice call out to me, “But wait!” The waiting has nothing to do with pleasing people or stalling God’s work of transformation till people are ready. The waiting has nothing to do with trying to keep everybody on the same page. The waiting has nothing to do with everyone needing to be ready for what they are about to do next. Some of those reasons may be judicious, wise, and compassionate. None of them, however, are the reason for the Lord’s words.
“But wait!” was the command issued because the work of the Kingdom, the will of God, the power from above, does not come because of our sense of timing. This empowering by the Spirit must be sought in prayer, most certainly (see Luke 11:13; Acts 4:31). Yet, ultimately, the empowering of the Spirit is God’s work, prayerful waiting is our beckoning of God to work and our willingness to recognize that no God-ordained work of the Kingdom can succeed without God’s power being released to accomplish it.
So in this frantic two week period of time when I’ve got way more to do than I accomplish before heading out to Uganda with Compassion International, I must hear the Lord’s voice say, “But wait!” As busy as I think I need to be to get ready for this trip, I need to be in prayer and seek the release of His power. Without Him, without His blessing and power and without my waiting in prayer, I will only proceed on my own strength … and I’m not strong enough for the opportunities and challenges ahead!

//Invitation:
Come, Lord Jesus, and empower me. I will do my best to wait in your presence and seek the Father’s will. I will be open to Your leading and seek to follow Your guidance. But, dear Lord, I will also wait … and listen … and trust … and anticipate. May all of this be to your honor and glory. Amen.