“But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.”
Psalm 37:39-40
The final verse of Psalm 37 once again gives us sure promises from God to His people; promises that are decreed from His sovereign will which no one can thwart. Christians are promised that God will be their strength. He will come to our defense mightily like when He sent earth-shattering thunder against the Philistines that rendered them disoriented and in shock thereby delivering Israel from their oppression. (I Samuel 7:10) No matter how the wicked are prospering, God has solemnly promised that they will not and cannot have the last word. This is true even if we think that God hasn’t acted in the way we think He should.
The question before us is, how strong is our faith? How surely do we trust in the word of God here. Jesus called upon the Father to help. In the garden Jesus asked if there might be another way than going to the cross. But Jesus ended up suffering terribly and dying on the cross. Did the Father fail to help and deliver Jesus? Of course not. Was the Father Jesus’ strength? Most assuredly! Did Jesus place His trust in the Father? Absolutely!
The witness of the cross is that even if the wicked accomplish our death, they cannot win. Even if we die a martyr’s death, God will still be faithful to be our strength and deliver us. Did the Father deliver Jesus? Of course! Philippians 2:8-11 says, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Can we be faithful unto death? If we read these verses in Psalm 37 and think that if we suffer, or even if we die, that God has not been faithful to His promises to be our strength and save us it means that we simply have embraced a false perspective, a worldly perspective. It means that we have priorities that God does not have. It means that we have a weak faith and that we struggle to fully trust Him.
Romans 8:18 says, “…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.“ Likewise, Colossians 1:22-23 says Jesus’ ministry is, “ to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—if indeed you continue in the faith.” Jude 24 says, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” All of these verses proclaim the faithfulness of God after death.
This is the message of Psalm 37. Continue doing good, continue in the faith, trust in the promises of God, for glory awaits, glory is your future and the wicked cannot stop it. Even death cannot stop it!
Glory to the Lord of hosts!
His mercy endures forever!
Pastor Flynn
