Psalm 37:17

Psalm 37:17

The Lord upholds the righteous

This verse continues from verse 16. Having taken sides and nailed our allegiance to the mast we must face the consequences of our choice. The wicked choose this world, they choose fame, material success, wealth, promotion and self-advancement. They live only for this life and for their status in this world. Their education, their philosophy, their daily routines and their aspirations are all based on the values of the world. God is not in their thinking; they curse His name and mock those who believe in Him. They spurn His commandments and live without morals, they worship other gods made from earthly materials or created by their imaginations. These people have power in the world but the Lord God says that their power will be broken. The more powerful they become, the closer they are to destruction and to humiliation. 

The righteous have chosen a different way. For us all values begin with a God of wonders who created us, loves us and protects us. All that we are and that we have is surrendered to Him and we aspire to the Kingdom of Heaven. We recognise the temporary nature of our earthly life and that our “wealth” is invested in a heavenly, eternal existence beyond this world. Our goals and our aims are to serve our God for, as each day passes, He becomes increasingly magnified in our thinking and earthly things just fade in their significance. As a consequence, we feel “out of place” in the world but the Lord upholds us and prepares us for a better land and a better home.

“This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through, 

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

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