Frustrating promises
May 25, 2006 | 12:00am
Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
Do any Bible promises frustrate you? Some people say that Psalm 37:4 is a guarantee that youll get whatever you want a spouse, a job, money. This has made me wonder at times, Why dont I have what I want?
When a promise frustrates us because it seems that God is not fulfilling it, maybe its because we dont understand what the verse really means. Here are three suggestions to help, using Psalm 37 as an example:
Consider the context. Psalm 37 is telling us not to worry or be envious of the wicked. Our focus is not to be on what they have, nor on what they seem to be getting away with (vv. 12-13). Instead, we are commanded to trust and delight in the Lord (vv. 3-4).
Consider other verses. Were taught in 1 John 5:14 that our requests need to be according to Gods will for us. Other Scriptures on the same topic can give us a balance.
Consult a Bible commentary. In The Treasury of David, C. H. Spurgeon says this about verse 4: "[Those] who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God." Doing a little deeper study can help us understand frustrating Bible verses like this one.
As we learn to delight in the Lord, His desires will become our own and He will grant them. Anne
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. Carter
READ: Psalm 37:1-24
You cant break Gods promises by leaning on them.
The Bible on one year:
1 Chronicles 25-27
John 9:1-23
Do any Bible promises frustrate you? Some people say that Psalm 37:4 is a guarantee that youll get whatever you want a spouse, a job, money. This has made me wonder at times, Why dont I have what I want?
When a promise frustrates us because it seems that God is not fulfilling it, maybe its because we dont understand what the verse really means. Here are three suggestions to help, using Psalm 37 as an example:
Consider the context. Psalm 37 is telling us not to worry or be envious of the wicked. Our focus is not to be on what they have, nor on what they seem to be getting away with (vv. 12-13). Instead, we are commanded to trust and delight in the Lord (vv. 3-4).
Consider other verses. Were taught in 1 John 5:14 that our requests need to be according to Gods will for us. Other Scriptures on the same topic can give us a balance.
Consult a Bible commentary. In The Treasury of David, C. H. Spurgeon says this about verse 4: "[Those] who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God." Doing a little deeper study can help us understand frustrating Bible verses like this one.
As we learn to delight in the Lord, His desires will become our own and He will grant them. Anne
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. Carter
READ: Psalm 37:1-24
You cant break Gods promises by leaning on them.
The Bible on one year:
1 Chronicles 25-27
John 9:1-23
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