Morningview Baptist Church

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Psalm for Prayer and Praise:

Psalm for Prayer and Praise: Psalm 37:1-11 (ESV)

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!  Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Scripture Memory for the Week: Psalm 37:8-9

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!  Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Praying through the Psalms

Day 1 ~ Delight in the Lord

Read: Psalm 37:1-11, focus today on verses 1 through 4

Consider:

For Adults: Verse 4 is quoted often among Christians to suggest that God will supply whatever our deepest heart’s desires are. How can this verse be misunderstood? What are the heart desires of a person who delights themselves in the Lord?

Older children: Have you ever been envious? Why should we not envy the wrongdoers of verse 1?

Younger children: What does grass look like in the winter time? Is it better to be like grass or like a tree in the winter? How does God make His children like trees?

Family Application: Talk together about the types of prayers that God loves to answer and the types of desires that He promises to fulfill. How does this compare or contrast to the desires of the evildoer and wrongdoer of verse 1?

Pray: Pray together through these verses of the Psalm. Ask God to give you a heart that truly delights in Him. Thank Him for His promise to bless His people and to give them deep and lasting joy in Himself through Jesus.

Meditate: Write this week’s memory verses on a white board in your home and/or on index cards that each family member can carry with them during the week.

Day 2 ~ Wait Upon the Lord

Read: Psalm 37:1-11, focus today on verses 5 through 7

Consider:

For Adults: Have you ever found yourself yearning to be vindicated in the eyes of others? How difficult do you find it to wait for God to act when you feel falsely accused? What is the solution to this anxiety?

Older children: What is your only hope of having true righteousness before God and others? How can you be truly “just” or “justified” in God’s sight?

Younger children: When was the last time you had to wait for something or someone? Is it easy to wait? Why should we be patient?

Family Application: Consider together what is means to hope in Christ and to wait upon him for a salvation that will only be fully revealed to the world in the judgment. How can we be both patient and gracious with those who deem hope in Christ to be foolishness?

Pray: Pray through today’s verses of Psalm 37. Thank God that he has revealed Christ to us and clearly shown us the way that he desires us to follow Him in His word. Praise Him for His faithfulness to act on behalf of His people according to His word and ask Him to give you patience, grace and humility with others as you wait for God’s purposes to be fulfilled in your life and in the universe.

Meditate: See if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Make new note cards of any of the cards from day 1 that may have been lost.

Day 3 ~ Find the Peace of the Lord

Read: Psalm 37:1-11, focus today on verses 8 through 11

Consider:

For Adults: What does verse 8 tell us about the outcome of looking on the prosperity of the Godless with envy, anger, or even anxiety? How is trust in God’s plan and character a remedy against this? What is the specific hope that gives peace found in verse 11?

Older children: What will eventually happen to those who refuse to submit to God and trust in Christ? Should we want to be like them? What should define the lives of Christians according to verse 9?

Younger children: Have you ever been angry? Does anger usually help you to do good or make you want to do bad?

Family Application: Talk together about how the Bible encourages Christians to always remember God’s sovereignty and His ultimate victory over all sin as a source of peace, hope and joy. Consider how Christians are tempted to desire the things of the world when they forget this. Consider how delighting in God develops peaceful meekness in the heart.

Pray: Pray through verses 8 through 11. Ask God to help you to delight in Him and not in the things that are temporary and destined to pass away. Praise Him for His promise of providing the creation free from sin in the last day to all those who are trusting Him in Christ. Ask Him to help you to be more peaceful, humble, and patient as He works out His plan for your life.

Meditate: See again if anyone in the family can quote this week’s memory verse. Talk about any ways that this verse has encouraged or taught you this week.

Hymn of the Week

http://nethymnal.org/htm/m/y/myhopeis.htm