If you've ever spent time reading and meditating on the beautiful verses of Psalm 37, then you know how encouraging and inspiring they can be. The Lord has led me to this psalm many times when I have been in a painful place, and He has used it to lift my heart and fill me with a fresh sense of hope. Let me share with you today some of the ways this beautiful passage in the Bible has encouraged me over the years.

Psalm 37:3 (NKJV) says: "Trust in the Lord, and do good". Why does the Lord so often tell us to trust Him? Because He knows that if we don't stand firm in our faith, the devil and his cohorts will be able to rob us of the victories and blessings that He has in store for us. God longs to empower us to live above our circumstances in difficult times, but He requires our cooperation. We cooperate with Him by making a quality decision to trust Him, and to resist all fear and doubt. Another way we can cooperate with His plan for our victory is to "do good," as this verse says. When we are going through a trial, the devil would like nothing better than to see us "stuck" in our problems. He doesn't want us to move forward, but to keep our focus on our problems and ourselves. God's antidote to that faulty strategy is to reach out to others, knowing that as we do, we will be energized and revived in ways that will keep us moving along the path of victory the Lord has mapped out for us. The second half of this verse tells us to "feed on His faithfulness". God showed me that when I'm in a difficult place and I'm tempted to despair, I need to feed on His promises. Whether we need healing, finances, the restoration of a relationship, or anything else, there are scriptural promises that we can pray and stand on, trusting Him to be faithful to His Word. As one wise man has rightly said, "God's promises will give you hope in hopeless situations".

The next verse in Psalm 37 says: "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4 NKJV) How do we delight ourselves in the Lord? We give HIM the desires of HIS heart. Every day - in big ways and small - we put God first. We seek His will in everything, and we do our best - with His help - to follow His lead. If we focus on our own desires, they will continually elude us. But if we focus on God's desires, we will find our own desires chasing us down and overtaking us. I often like to pray, "Lord, remove from me every dream and desire that is not from You, and plant deeply in my heart those that You have ordained for me". I don't want to waste one moment of my life wishing for something that isn't God's best for me.

Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) says: "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass". In all our "ways," God has a part to play, and so do we. God won't do our part. And He won't let us do His part. As we work in partnership with the Lord to bring His perfect will to pass in our lives, we will witness His perfect plans unfolding before our very eyes. Every time we encounter a need or a problem, God already has a custom-made solution prepared for us. It doesn't matter how many obstacles seem to be in the way, if we will let God be God in our situation, He will make a way where there seems to be none. The Lord wants to fill you with fresh hope for your life and circumstances today. Call upon him now, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in healing, comforting, and uplifting ways!

Prayer: Lord, in times of trial and trouble, help me to take my stand in faith, and to do good to others. Teach me how to delight in You and Your Word, and to claim Your promises of victory. Thank You that as I commit everything to You, You will fulfill Your perfect purposes for me!