Sunday Devotional 5th of March, 2023
by Bruce Billington
Psalm 37:28–30 – For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
Are there times in your life when you have felt forsaken? This happens to most believers at some time(s) in their lifetime journey with the Lord. The words from theologian Jurgen Moltmann are helpful yet sobering. He said that every true follower of Christ will have times when they cry out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” It is an essential truth that must be embraced.
So, what does the promise that God does not forsake us, really mean? Well, it certainly does not mean that we won’t have trials, tribulations, and suffering. The pages of the New Testament promise us repeatedly, that this is the lot of all those who follow Christ.
What it does mean though is that God takes up His position as our supreme and majestic Father, King and Controller over all such events. They are happening on His watch and under all the restraints He chooses to impose upon them. All those who name Him as their Lord and Saviour will be preserved and guided through such times – while the descendants of the wicked will not enjoy His guidance or protection.
Our journey of life is lived under the promise that those who are faithful are the objects of His unfailing love and deep concern. We are assured that we are preserved (Hebrew word shamar meaning watched, kept, and guarded) by God. Nothing in the universe can overpower Him to get to us. We are kept safely in His mighty hand (John 10:28–29; Romans 8:38–39; 1 Peter 1:5).
Matthew Henry makes a good comment here. He says,
A good man may be overtaken in a fault, but the grace of God shall recover him to repentance, so that he shall not be utterly cast down. Though he may, for a time, lose the joys of God’s salvation, yet they shall be restored to him; for God shall uphold him with his hand, uphold him with his free Spirit. The root shall be kept alive, though the leaf wither; and there will come a spring after the winter.
He goes on to say,
A good man may be in distress, his affairs embarrassed, his spirits sunk, but he shall not be utterly cast down; God will be the strength of his heart when his flesh and heart fail, and will uphold him with his comforts, so that the spirit he has made shall not fail before him.
Added to all of this is the promise that, at the end of our life we are going to eternally enjoy our inheritance, living forever in the land God has promised to us (V29). Those outside of Christ experience none of this.
In the times we live in today, we must keep reminding ourselves that whatever happens on this planet, is not under the direction of chance, but under the unchallenged providence of God, and is conducted and governed by His counsel. He regulates all things according to His pleasure and controls them by His power.
So, when we are surrounded by the troubles and changes which occur in this world, the knowledge of all that is stated above should keep us in a state of inward peace of mind, which is of such surpassing value that it exceeds all other things in life.
V29 talks about inheriting the land. Although we can expect His blessing during our time on this earth, and that we should seek to bring increase to all that we are involved in; this earth, in its fallen state cannot offer us an eternal dwelling, a continuing city of life, nor a place that will be our “forever” home. That place awaits us in the next life and will be beyond anything that we can imagine today.
What an amazing God we have and what a future we look forward to – one that extends beyond this life into a wonderful eternity with Christ and one another. Now there is something to meditate on.
God bless you.
Bruce Billington