Psalm 37 Reimagined

A psalm of David

1. Do not agonise over the fate of the depraved or be jealous of those who are responsible for injustice.
2. Like cut flowers, they bloom for a short period but are soon forgotten.  Like an evening celebration, when it’s over there is the clear up then life goes on.

3. Place your expectations in the Lord and be kind-hearted in what you do.  He / she will be your Guardian and ensure that you flourish.
4. Let your heart find its pleasure in loving the Lord and he / she will take care of your wishes.

5. Entrust all your plans and actions to the Lord and expect him / her to guide you.
6. Your integrity will be visible to everyone and the fairness of your convictions will stand out.

7. Enjoy the Lord’s close company and his / her calming influence.  Let him / her decide what to do and when.  Let him / her concern himself / herself with the malicious and their perverse tactics.

8. Drop your outrage and put a lid on your seething fury.  Nip resentment in the bud as it always leads to pain.
9. The depraved will be knocked down whereas those who have confidence in the Lord will win the day.

10. In a short time, the malicious will vanish.  You will wonder what has happened, but they will be over.
11. Instead the ordinary will be the ones who flourish; their communities will be places of co-operation and success.

12. Those with no principles target the people of faith – they goad and confront them.
13. But the Boss sees what is happening and chuckles; he / she knows that soon they will be tried for their abuse.

14. The vicious gang together to abuse and oppress the poor and weak.  They are ready to use violence to intimidate those who want quiet lives.
15. But their violence will turn around on them and they will be left powerless.

16. It is better to love the Lord and be materially poor, than to have wealth but be cruel.
17. The Lord will take care of his / her own, but the life blood of the vicious will drained away.

18. Each and every day, the Lord supports those who are straightforward, and he / she will provide for them to live well forever.
19. Even when times are tough, they will not be humiliated; in desperate times, when things are scarce, they will have what they need and more.

20. The perverse have made themselves the Lord’s enemies and will not experience his / her care.  They will be gone like a puff of smoke.

21. The shameful borrow whatever they can with no thought for repayment, but the Lord’s people give selflessly.
22. Those he / she protects will flourish but those he / she denounces will fade away.

23. The Lord shows the best route to his / her followers.  He / she loves being involved in every aspect of their lives.
24. They might trip but they will not fall over because the Lord catches them by the hand.

25. As I look back over the years of my life, I have seen that the Lord always provides for his / her followers and their families.  They never go hungry.
26. They always give what they have freely, and their children know how to serve.

27. Abandon your personal agenda with its wrong focus and replace it with God’s agenda for good.  This will ensure that you and your family are established for ever.
28. For the Lord loves being fair to people and he / she will stick close to his / her followers.

He / she will protect them for ever even as the families of the shameful are fading away.

29. God’s followers are his / her family and they will live in his / her home forever.

30. The Lord’s followers give wise advice and are able to show others how to recognise what to do for the best.
31. They have made their Creator’s directions their constant guide, so they stick to the route he / she has planned.

32. The shameful look for every opportunity to discredit the Lord’s followers, they are determined to see them abandon their faith.
33. But the Lord will ensure that they do not succeed, and his / her followers will not be humiliated when cross-examined.

34. Follow the desire of the Lord’s heart and stick to his / her guidance.  He / she will make you a member of his / her family and give you a place in his / her home.  The unprincipled will fade away.

35. There are times when the depraved and cruel seem to be in the ascendancy – all they touch turns to gold.
36. But in the blink of an eye, they and what they have created has sunk without trace.

37. In contrast, model yourself on those who are trustworthy and kind-hearted for they will find fulfilment in their loving relationships.
38. But those who defy the Lord have no future, they have put themselves on a path with an abrupt end.

39. The Lord liberates his / her followers and protects them when times are tough.
40. The Lord delivers them from the cruel and becomes their guardian putting them back on their feet.

© 2021 Andrew W. Kearns  All Rights Reserved