There were plenty of occasions in King David’s life when he felt like God had abandoned him. He was beset by enemies, his life was threatened, and he endured physical pain and emotional turmoil.
To rub salt into the wounds, there were often times when it seemed to David that while he was floundering, his evil adversaries were in fact prospering!
It was in one of these moments that David penned Psalm 37.
It’s a Psalm with a theme every believer can identify with: the saints suffer while those who reject God’s ways seem to rule the roost.
Wonderfully, Psalm 37 has much to teach you and me about how to respond when we feel forsaken in this way.
Take a look at verses 1 through 3…
Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Did you notice how David says you are to respond when life is tough but evildoers seem to be prospering? He says that you and I are not to fret, but instead we are to trust and do good.
David’s point is clear. Continue to do what is right. Keep living by the Word. Keep trusting God, even when it seems like the evildoers are the ones who are getting ahead.
Let me give you an example. My dad was a dentist. He was also a man of great integrity.
My dad told me that one day, a lady who had previously been his patient came into the waiting room demanding to talk to him. As he approached her, my dad was met with a torrent of verbal abuse.
Accusing him of negligence, the lady said that her new dentist had told her she required all sorts of treatment and procedures. My dad looked in her mouth and saw that thousands of dollars’ worth of work had been done…
My dad called the other dentist and asked him why he’d carried out the work, when they both knew full well that none of it was necessary. “When I first started doing this to my patients, it bothered me,” he replied. “But now I just laugh all the way to the bank.”
Dad could have joined in the scam. He could have given in to the temptation to dishonesty. He could have gotten rich. But instead he chose to trust and do good!
Follow his example, my friend. Don’t be tempted to compromise. Don’t lose your integrity. Taking shortcuts and playing others is a slippery slope that will dull your conscience and leave you paying a terrible price. It’s just not worth it.
Instead, keep on trusting in the Lord and do good!
As you do, there’s a promise for you…
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Or as another translation puts it…You will live safely in the land and prosper.
As you persevere in trusting God and doing good, you will have a place to live, and your needs will be amply supplied.
As Galatians 6:9 says:
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Even when you feel forsaken, even when evildoers seem to be prospering, keep going! Continue to love. Continue to give. Continue to be gracious. Continue to trust God while you’re sowing your seeds of goodness. You will reap a harvest!
