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Psalm 38:4, 6 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head; as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me….I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long.

In this life we become troubled and heavy burdened because we are sinners living in a sinful world. At times the burdens and troubles become very heavy and hard. What we don’t want to admit is that it is my sin (mine iniquities) that is the major cause of my problems. It is sin in the world and the sins of others also, but it is my own sin that is the biggest burden weighing on me. I am the problem. We could blame others or the world for our burdens, but that doesn’t take away the guilt or lift the burden.

Confession of my sins, repentance and faith lightens the burden and relieves the guilt. It is like the Pilgrim beginning his journey by kneeling at the cross and he feels the heavily burdened backpack rolling away. He is free. Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest….You will find rest for your souls.” A heart lightened by the Gospel is better than a heavy heart burdened by the Law. Therefore confess, repent, believe.

Psalm 37:40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Faith and trust is the key. Faith receives, activates, and makes alive, present, and real the help, deliverance, and salvation which our gracious God has given to us in the Son of God, who became a human person to die and rise in our place. It’s not the faith that saves, but it is the person in whom trust is placed. Faith receives the free gift of help, deliverance, and salvation granted by grace.

We are delivered from the wicked. The wicked are the spiritual Enemies, Sin, Death, and the Devil. From these dangerous wicked foes the Lord Jesus has saved and delivered us at the cross and sealed that victory at the empty tomb. This message is what we believe and the freed up life we enjoy.

Psalm 37:34 Wait on the Lord and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

The contrasting promise and warning of Psalm 37 is that the righteous will inherit the land and the wicked will be cut off. Heaven is life eternally in God’s presence; hell is eternal separation from God. Our response to God’s Word is wait on the Lord and keep his way. Waiting is paying attention to the Lord and trusting Him. Keeping is believing His Word and living according to it. Jesus does it all for us and we enjoy His work for us by faith. We are righteous! Romans 4:3 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Faith in Jesus waits on the Lord and faith keeps His way in response to Grace. We pay attention to the Gospel while we wait for full salvation, and the implanted faith in us lives according to His way. Faith comes from hearing the Gospel as often as possible and faith lives out life accordingly. Believers will be exalted to inherit the land, the eternal kingdom that is within us and lasts forever. We live in eternal loving communion with God and Life.

Psalm 37:27 Depart from evil and do good, and dwell for evermore.

Our response to the Gospel is to depart from evil and do good. This conditional promise leads us to dwell (live) forever. We avoid evil and do good when we are brought to faith in Jesus Christ. Faith receives the life and goodness of God, who dwells within the heart. This gift is granted by God freely for Christ’s sake, and it is received and activated by the Spirit through the Gospel. This “good” lifestyle is the default condition of God’s life. Through faith the Spirit creates a new man who avoids sin and does good works. Ephesians 2:8-10: “By grace you have been saved through…For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…that we should walk in them.”

This kind of life that dwells forever is worked by God, not by us, in Baptism, and it is nurtured, fed, and grown through Gospel and Sacrament. The Spirit within struggles against the sinful flesh to overcome and do good.

Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

David admits that a righteous man may fall on the path of life, or even stray from it, but the promise is that he will not be utterly cast down. Because we are corrupted sinners falls, stumbles, and failures will occur while walking the path through this life to heaven. But the Holy Spirit who lives within the faithful believer will be there to pick him up, hold him up, and keep him going.

The bad news is: we fall. The Good News: the Lord holds us up. That does not give us license to go ahead and sin for we will be forgiven anyway; instead the gospel message renews life and hope and gives us the desire and motivation not to fall again. Because we are fully saint, the Holy Spirit within forgives the cause of the fall and picks us up again, and again.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

The Lord orders the path and the destination of a good man. For believers the Good Shepherd leads us on the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, and we end up in green pastures beside still waters. This is eternal life, which we have now and will enjoy forever. The good man is the believer in Jesus Christ, who has filled us with God’s life and goodness. Where to go and how to get there is controlled by the Lord.

Our response to God’s care and provision and guiding leadership is to delight in His Way. A pleasant and joyful life results from living according to His Law, His good ways. When we fail (and we will), Jesus is the Way who finds us, puts us back on the path, and leads us on the right track. We are delighted to be on the Way, and overjoyed to be restored to the fold.

Ordered steps and a delightful way is one good way of picturing the daily life of the believer. Since Jesus is the Way and the Life for us, pure delight is the hallmark of the Christian life.

Psalm 37:9, 11 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth….But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

The evildoers shall be cut off and the wicked shall not be, but the waiters and the meek shall inherit the earth. The contrasting ultimate reward between believers and unbelievers could not be more stark. Sinners who do not believe will be cut off from the kingdom of God and suffer eternal death, separation from God. Sinners who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will be given the inheritance of eternal life laid up for them in heaven, a blessed relationship with God that begins now and lasts forever.

Jesus fulfills this promise in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” It does not look that way to earthbound eyes. It seems the wicked get away with it and have everything while on earth, while we, the meek and humble, have very little. But David and Jesus reveal what is really going on in the invisible world in which we live. It is the weak, the meek, the poor, the humble believer who is truly blessed with eternal riches that will not fade away. Philippians 4:19: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

To be meek is to admit you are weak, poor, powerless, needy, and dependent. Your only hope is in the mercy of God, which He gives on account of Christ. In Him we inherit the riches of God, and we we delight in the abundance of peace. The peace of God keeps our hearts and minds.

Psalm 37:7-8 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Our response to worldly enemies and earthly troubles is to leave it all in God’s hands and trust Him to take care of it. Rest in the Lord, and find in Him comfort, safety, security, and quiet peace. Rest is a gift of God and a blessing that comes from the powerful love of God in Christ. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest [Matthew 11:28].” After struggling with many issues during the day it is refreshing to come to Jesus and rest in Him.

While we trust and rest, we wait patiently for Him. Waiting involves believing that the Lord hears our prayers, sees our struggles, and is working out the solutions in His time and way. We wait patiently, but also expectantly, watching for God’s answers. We do not take our eyes off of Him.

And we do not fret, worry, or stew while waiting in faith. God is faithful and promises rest, comfort, peace, and hope. It is amazing, but true: we can cease from anger and let go of wrath. Trust His justice, mercy, and timing. Resting in the Lord is an effective way to control anger issues.

Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

Our response to the presence and promises of God is to commit our life and our future to the Lord. Trust Him to make your way straight, right, and good for you. Believe that His will for you and His path for your life is far better than your own thoughts and ideas. Let go and let God. We pray: “Thy will be done on earth (in my life) as it is in heaven (already determined by God).

Committing your way is surrendering your life, your self, your plans, and your will to the Lord. Trust Him to “lead you in the paths of righteousness” into green pastures and beside still waters. He won’t steer you wrong, for He is your good shepherd. It takes God-given faith to place your life totally in His hands, letting Him work out all things together for good. A lot is going on in the response “commit your way.”

Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Our response to God and His goodness and glory is to delight in the Lord. Find your happiness, joy, peace, contentment, and satisfaction in the Lord, and not from the things of the world. The world’s joys are temporary and not fulfilling. Superficial thrills and short-lived “feel goods” do not last and let us down harder. Inner joy that comes from the Holy Spirit deep within delights and lasts. Not only is His life eternal, but so also is His joy.

”The joy of the Lord is your strength.” “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.” Along with inner joy comes love, peace, and a calm spirit. Looking for delight in the wrong places, people, and things disappoints and does not work. The world all too easily distracts us from focus on the true Joy, which is Jesus.

The blessing and promise of delighting in the Lord is that He will give you the desires of the heart. What a promise! The key, however, is desire. When we freely desire what God desires He will surely give it. And delight increases. Get familiar with God and His Word and your desires change. We avoid desiring wrongly. James 4:3: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Know God’s will, and ask for it. “Thy will be done.”