It’s Simple - Psalm 37:39-40

The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, their refuge in a time of distress. The Lord helps and delivers them; he will deliver them from the wicked and will save them because they take refuge in him. Psalm 37:39-40

What God Wants

Being a believer in Jesus is simple. I’m not saying that being a Christian is easy. But it is simple. 

Also, I’m not saying that there aren’t deep theologies hidden in the pages of holy writ; there most certainly are. And they are glorious. Gifted men often spend their whole lives searching out these truths and explaining them to His people. 

What I’m saying is that the basics are simple. They aren’t hard to grasp. 

This verse gets at a good bit of it. 

The Lord is a refuge for the righteous. How can I be righteous? I can’t. He does it. 

It’s simple. 

The Lord delivers; I don’t deliver myself. He does it. Simple.

Why does He deliver them (in this passage)? Here’s why: they take refuge in Him. 

I’ve never tried to count it up, but there are probably hundreds of verses that say or imply this very thing. In fact, one way the “good” kings of Judah get in trouble is that they get proud often after years of following the Lord, and they try to act on their own. They team up with an ungodly king to go to war against another country. Or they do an accounting of their military might when God tells them no. 

Then God sends a prophet to say, “Why did you try to do this on your own? Why didn’t you depend on me?”

King Asa

Recently, my pastor taught about one such king, Asa. 2 Chronicles 16:7-9 puts it like this: 

At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a vast army with many chariots and horsemen? When you depended on the Lord , he handed them over to you. For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. You have been foolish in this matter. Therefore, you will have wars from now on.” (2 Chronicles 16:7-9)

Asa acted righteously for many years. After over thirty years, he quit depending on the Lord. 

It’s easy to point the finger at the man. But how well have I simply depended on the Lord?

This kind of passage in Kings and Chronicles is normal. God keeps saying over and over again that this isn’t hard to understand. Depend on God. You are in covenant with Me. You are my child. It’s simple.

I’m not saying it’s easy. And it’s certainly not always easy for me to know HOW to depend upon Him. I do know this though: I think like a believer when I spend time with God and His people. If I motor on without prayer, bible reading, nor fellowship with other believers, without putting myself in a place where I can hear correction, I am going to get it wrong for sure. 

Take Refuge in Him

The Psalm 37 passage puts is simply — He will save them because they take refuge in Him. There’s nothing hard for me to figure out here. What I need to do is take refuge in Him. Over and over again. 

And I must remind myself to take refuge in Him over and over again. Until it becomes normal in my thinking. 

And even when it becomes normal, I must stay focused. Even Asa, one of the greatest kings of Judah allowed himself to drift so far away from God that he actually punished the prophet for telling him the truth. 

Staying focused is work. But I am depending on Him. I’m holding His hand while I cross the street. He’s doing the hard part. I must trust, and depend on Him. 

It’s simple. 

Lord, Teach me to live this simple truth, to depend on you, to take refuge in you. May I be humble and seek you. I want to be all in. Today. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.