“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3
One of the reasons for which David was a great man, or rather, a man greatly blessed of God, was that he learned well how to take that which was spiritually true, and by the Spirit of God, apply it to everyday living. In other words, he put feet on his faith, and on his prayers. This is one of the reasons David’s Psalms are of such great value, for they lead us out of the dominant preoccupation with man’s needs, abilities and capacities, not to mention deliverance from his sin and selfishness, into the realm of the victorious life of Christ, that eternal Life which He gives to all who will truly and wholly trust in Him. The Psalms are a roadmap to practical faith in God, and this with a very real and practical effect and result. How do the great lessons of faith and prayer that Jesus taught, lived, and revealed to His disciples, also manifest themselves in the life of the Psalmist, and in all who will listen, believe, and obey?
In the 37th Psalm, after dealing with the preoccupation with evildoers, and their works, which a believer can be distracted and dominated by, David brings the believer to the essential of the first thing, faith in God. This is a faith that the Apostle James characterizes as being “without doubting.” He declares that such a man who doubts is a “double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (1:6,7) When we come to Mark’s gospel, also where we find the Lord Jesus, leaving Bethany on His way to Jerusalem. He is hungry and sees a fig tree afar off. He comes to the fig tree and curses it because it does not have any figs for Him to eat. He spoke to the tree so that His disciples could hear Him. In returning from Jerusalem later, the fig tree had withered away. Then He would speak to His disciples concerning faith, this faith of which James wrote, and David had lived. This ”faith in God” that Jesus called the disciples to have in prayer was to be characterized, not by doubting but believing, “…that those things he says,” and prays for, will be done, and received. (Mk. 11:23) True prayer, from Jesus’ standpoint is to be characterized by a stand taken, an assurance given by the Holy Spirit, so that one “receives” that for which one has prayed.
We find this same truth in the Epistle To The Hebrews, where it is written: “…for he who comes to God MUST believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (11:6) True faith in God is an undoubting faith, fixed with great resolve in the knowledge that, “…Faithful is He who calls you who also will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24) The question then becomes, “When we come to God, do we come truly in faith, believing, nothing doubting with regard to God’s acceptance of us, and His perfect provision in Christ to meet our every need so that we can worship, and pray effectively?” This precious gift of faith is none other than that of Christ, given to the believer who truly seeks Him, and the fulness measure of His mercy and grace. To all who will come to Him in such a manner, He will not cast out or turn away. The Father is in the secret place where He waits to meet the seeking soul, and will meet him certainly, if that soul seeks Him with all his heart.
The practicality of God’s call to David, to be written down for all believers is this: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His (God’s) faithfulness.” Here lies the great beginning, and continuance, of communion with God. It is the same as the Apostle Paul wrote: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Col. 2:6) The call is to a deliberate and decisive faith.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to believe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.