“Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.”
I don't know what Shannan called last night's dinner, I just know I wanted second helpings. I wasn't even that hungry, but some meals are like that -- you just have to more.
God agrees, at least when it comes to the nourishment he provides.
Psalm 37 is David's declaration of God's faithfulness to his saints:
Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. [2]
As I read Psalm 37, that little phrase "befriend faithfulness" stopped me in tracks. "What does that mean?" I asked. Noticing the footnote, I checked it. An alternative reading is:
“Feed on faithfulness”
In seminary I had a professor who told us, "The Bible is not a book to be 'read through,' but a book to be lived in." Good words! If I was going to "live in" Psalm 37, I needed to slow down and spend some time with this phrase "feed on faithfulness." And so I did. Here is what I discovered.
God is encouraging his people to dwell in the land of Israel. He wants them to settle down and to occupy the land as those who live under his loving rule.
What will sustain them in the good times and bad times to follow?
“Feed on faithfulness.”
To feed on faithfulness is to enjoy, to delight, to take security in God. Isaiah tells us:
“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.”
Isaiah is reminding me that God is my feast. He is just. He is righteous. He is stability in the midst of my insecurity. He is wisdom in the midst of my confusion. He is knowledge in the midst of my questions. He is abundance in the midst of my scarcity. He is my salvation -- not my circumstances, or my paycheck, or my home, or even my family.
God is the meal that will sustain me -- and you. So feast on him. How?
- Dwell on his magnificence.
- Praise him for his greatness.
- Rest in his justice.
Don't rush away from the table of God's goodness. He is faithful.
Slow down and make sure you get a second helping of that!