Step by Step Through Psalm 37

Hi! I'm Gail. My quiet time has been enhanced by creative journaling, so let me share how I journaled Psalm 37. It's not about being a great artist, it's about doing something creative to make Scripture more real for you.

Psalm 37

Part 1 - Psalm 37:1-7 

I listed some of the "instructions" from these verses on the left and illustrated three points on the right:

1. The wicked will wither like grass and flowers so we shouldn't worry. Wicked people are part of our lives here on earth, but we aren't home yet. We need to let God worry about others and we can focus on our own need to follow Christ more closely.

2. When God is the delight of our hearts, we will always have our heart's desire (not meaning we'll have whatever we want in life, but meaning that we'll always have the Lord).

3. God will make our innocence and His justice shine like the noonday sun. We can't do that. He can.

Part 2- Psalm 37:8-15

This Psalm is so rich in instructions for those who are mistreated, slandered, rejected, or hurt.

illustration v.8-9: "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."

My thoughts: Anger is so easy at times...but it only leads to evil. Something I need to remember because injustice often makes me angry.

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After reading this I encourage you to read my 1-minute devotion about Psalm 37 called 13 Instructions for Dealing with Mistreatment.

Bubble Letter Words v.13: "but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming."

My thoughts: I don't often think of God laughing, but I think this shows how insignificant wicked acts are in light of eternity.

illustration 3: v.14-15: The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.

My thoughts: I don't really wish this on my enemies, but sometimes it's takes something like this to turn a person around.

Part 3 - Psalm 37:16-28

Clock illustration - Verse 18: "Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent."

My thoughts: This is so comforting to know when I think of people who are oppressed or abused. God does not spare us all sorrow, but He makes His salvation available to everyone so we have someplace to take our sorrow.

Footprints - verse 23-24: "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never faill, for the Lord holds them by the hand."

My thoughts: I should memorize these verses. What a wonderful promise. Again, we aren't promised that our paths will always be smooth, but He promises to be there when we stumble.

Gavel - verse 28: "The Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly."

My thoughts: Whenever we have questions about the reason for tragedy in our lives or the lives of others, we can trust that our God loves justice. The injustice is due to our fallen world and the schemes of wicked people, but in eternity it will all be righted.

Part 4 - Psalm 37:29, 33

Verse 29: The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.

My Thoughts: This is a wonderful promise to Believers - we will be ushered into our heavenly promised land and live there forever.

v. 33: But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

My Thoughts: it's so easy to assume that wicked people and wicked plans have succeeded. But they all will come to an end and in the final judgment, nothing wicked will succeed against God's true children.

 Part 5 - Psalm 37:30-39  

Verses 30-39: "The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong. 31 They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path. 32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.34 Put your hope in the Lord.Travel steadily along his path...39 The Lord rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble."

My Thoughts: I love this idea of staying on the right path, and in my drawing, I let the path flow from the godly counsel of Scripture. I illustrated people waiting to ambush us on our path and the fortress of the Lord at the end of the path.

This makes me think of Jesus' New Testament statement about the path to heaven being narrow and few finding it (Matthew 7:13).

For more about creative journaling, check out the Jesus Journaling Facebook group.

💙 Please check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. It  features 1-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD. And it also has some blank pages where you can do creative journaling.  

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