There is no Independent Christian

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, 

and He shall bring it to pass."  

(Psalm 37:4-5)

This passage of scripture is underlined in my Bible (in a very bright pink pen I used to have when I was like 13), so I know that I have read it through before, but this morning, it was as if I read it for the very first time.  Isn't it strange how that happens?  The Lord uses passages of His Word to really "speak to us" in a sense and to reveal His truth.  He is the One who truly causes us to understand scripture, and He opens our eyes to it so that we can see and understand.

Now, I know that these particular verses here are not necessarily hard to understand.  Meaning, it is not like a passage in Revelation where you must really comprehend the context of what is being said, the history, the language, and even the meaning of the words in order to truly and rightly interpret the meaning of the verse.  These verses in Psalm 37 are very straightforward.  There are even no foot notes or commentaries in my Bible "explaining" what David is saying here.  It is plain and simple. 

Go re-read the passage again.

I am to take pleasure in and to be completely captivated by my Savior and Lord.  When my life portrays a spirit-filled likeness as David describes in verse 4 as "delight", the Lord will give us our hearts desires, which are also His!

Verse 5 really hit home for me.  The dictionary defines the word "commit" as stated in this verse (NKJ version) as to "pledge", to "bind", to "set aside", and to "entrust".   Also, it is from the Latin word committere meaning to  'join and entrust'.    So, I am commanded here to "pledge, bind, set aside, and entrust" my ways to the Lord.  Wow.  This part really convicted me.  Am I truly following what this verse says?

As the verse ends, we are also exhorted to trust (firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something) in the Lord for that which we have set aside and pledged to Him!

Lastly, there is a promise..."He will bring it to pass".   Wow.  We must completely bind our desires to Himself, to trust and rely completely upon Him, and then we are comforted with these last words in verse 5.   It is so amazing!

The Christian life is truly a life lived in complete dependence upon the Lord. (John 15:5)

Are you entrusting your ways to the Lord and relying completely on Him?  


We should ask ourselves this question every day!

We are not to live a life of independence.