Trust in the Lord

God has a way of telling me things over and over, because I tend not to listen to Him the first time. Or the second, or the third. On and on it goes. I read a verse, think, “Wow, that’s so true!” and then don’t live like I believe it. I have read the words “Trust in the Lord” more times than I can count, but I live like I don’t trust Him. Recently, this is a lesson He has been teaching me through various circumstances. I read Psalm 37 last Friday, and on Sunday, the sermon in church was about that same Psalm. Everything, from the scripture readings to the songs we sang, reaffirmed the message: Trust in the Lord. The following verses of the Psalm especially stuck out to me:

Psalm 37
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

23 If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

34 Wait for the LORD
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

The message is clear. Do not fret. Trust in the Lord. Delight yourself in the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in Him. Be still before the Lord. Wait patiently for Him. Do not fret. Hope in the Lord. Wait for the Lord and keep His way. He is your stronghold in time of trouble. He will deliver you. Take refuge in Him.
How many times does He have to say it before it finally sinks in? I am called to trust in my Lord and wait patiently for Him. That is one of the hardest things for me to do. I am not a patient person. I want to be doing something, no matter how small. To sit and wait is very hard for me.

The good news is that He doesn’t expect us to do it alone. He gives us His strength, and He promises to be our stronghold. He will help us. We don’t have to do it in our own strength. Because His strength is perfect, we know that it is possible. It’s just a matter of resting in Him.