And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:9
Some days I sit here and the voice of the Lord is clear, but the seasons of silence and struggle are familiar. There are days it seems as if I walk directly into the throne room, and other days feel like I climb mountains and still hear or feel nothing. As I struggled to connect with God this morning, He whispered to me “Psalm 37” repeatedly before I fell asleep on my desk.
Psalm 37 was written to contrast the great difference in the lives of the righteous and the wicked, those who love and obey God and those who refuse Him and seek nothing but self. Trust in the Lord, commit your way to the Lord, rest in the Lord, these are truths and commands behind Psalm 37, but the enemy speaks also. ‘Worship me and I will give you all these things’. Jesus knew the cross was His destination, but the devil offered Him a different path, a tempting path.
If Jesus was tempted, do you think you are immune? Are you, the servant, greater than the Master? Service to the Lord takes sacrifice and the temptation to take the easy road is prevalent, but those who set their face like a flint to the Lord’s desires will inherit the kingdom. No matter the temptation, no matter the situation, the circumstances, the suffering or trials, the Lord commands us to look to Him alone as our hope and salvation, our great desire and rich reward.
The wicked may draw their sword against you, but it will enter their own heart. The righteous may fall, but they will not be utterly cast down. What little a righteous person has is better than all the riches of the wicked. We are not promised a good, easy life. We are not promised wealth, health, and happiness. The promise of the righteous is the eternal presence of God, and there is no greater riches that can be obtained.
The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.
Psalm 37:18
