In this second installment of our Psalms of Justice series, Ellie Kutschera shares some of her thoughts on Psalm 37 which balances words of hope and challenge for Christians feeling weary from the scale of injustice in our world. Dig in, and be deeply encouraged!
Taking heart: knowing God’s faithfulness and promises
I’m sitting here, Bible on my knee, listening to the wind as it whistles. I can almost feel its chill, just from the very sound. It’s dark outside, yet I take it for granted that I can see the words I’m reading, and I take for granted the light I live in. What a good job I’m indoors, I think.
And then I realise; this is not the fullness of what God wants. Light is to be enjoyed, of course. But light, in all its forms, shouldn’t be shut away in a warm house, with curtains closed against the storm. We should go out, take it into the wind and rain and darkness, and share it. For there is so much more to His plan for those who are saved than for us to simply sit, cosy, with our salvation.
Psalm 37 speaks of our lives with God as a mission to share His light. This means many things, but here the writer refers to light specifically as justice, righteousness and faith, all stemming from how God shares what’s in His heart with us, and us in turn sharing this with others.
The psalm speaks of justice in two ways: as eternal justice and future hope, that ‘will’ someday be brought by God, and as justice ‘in the meantime’, the kind that we should try and bring about on Earth today. There’s a mixture of waiting and acting; we can rest in the hope we have, whilst also working to pass on this peace to others.
‘The wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.’ - Psalm 37:10-11
Love God and work for God in His world.
All of life’s struggles and injustices can often seem overwhelming, and impossible to fix by ourselves. It’s so easy to retreat when it feels as if some problems just cannot be solved. It may only take a short walk through town to illustrate the vast scale of homelessness, for example, and it may leave us feeling as if we are very small, faced with a very large problem to battle.
Does this sound familiar? A small boy against a giant? One man against death itself?
We know who won those fights, and we also know that neither of them did it alone, or through human strength.
I’m personally well-acquainted with the feeling of wanting to fix the world, but not knowing where to start. However, this psalm is a great reminder that we can’t - and don’t need to try to - solve everything by ourselves.
Throughout this psalm, God is showing us that he cares deeply about these ‘big picture’ problems, the ones that seem beyond conquering. He’s telling us he cares so much that he will one day wipe out all evil completely, and settle all wrongs. And we know, too, that Jesus’ ultimate victory has already been won. Saving the world isn’t our job, He’s done it already; we just have to show the world this.
‘Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness’ - Psalm 37:3
The way this verse is ordered really stood out to me. Firstly, before anything else, we need to trust in the Lord, remembering to keep our hearts turned towards Him even when the troubles we see are far from what He wants. Trusting and doing good are intertwined - the two strengthen each other.
Next, ‘dwell in the land’.
It’s so easy to step back from reality into comfort zones; of familiarity, perhaps family or friendships, or even of faith. But it’s no coincidence that faithfulness is paired here with going out and really living with others, not just being in the same street or city. We are God’s children, and our eternal home is with Him, but this knowledge should not separate us from the here and now.
A psalm of promises
‘He will bring forth your righteousness as a light, and your justice as the noonday.’ - Psalm 37:6
As a father, God cares so much when people are wronged. Although the psalm draws on the things God ‘will’ do in future, He is definitely not passive. God isn’t here in a physical body right now, but in spirit, which is why He’s given us a social conscience. Wanting to do what’s right is about more than morals. It’s often part of God’s guidance too.
By trusting Him and seeking this guidance, we are God’s agents. There is a future promised to all, and there is hope for today, too, as He works through us to bring light into the darkness.
This verse from Isaiah says it all.
‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend ourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always,’ - Isaiah 58:9-11
A JustLove Norwich blog post by Ellie Kutschera
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