Psalms 112-115: Their hearts are confident, and they are fearless

Praise the Eternal!
How blessed are those who revere the Eternal,
who turn from evil and take great pleasure in His commandments.

Do I actually trust this? Do I trust that my life will be better if I follow where He leads? I definitely don't always trust this. I don't always take great pleasure in His commands. They are hard commands. It is hard to love. It is hard to give sacrificially, to let go of comfort in order to serve the unloved. But the moments when I do, I realize the truth of them. I realize that in following the commands of my Creator I experience life as it was meant to be. And I am drawn into a greater life than I would ever have gained for myself.

Their children will be a powerful force upon the earth;
this generation that does what is right in God’s eyes will be blessed.

This is what I desire for my children. That their love will be a powerful force on this earth. That people's hearts will be transformed because my children have grown to know their Father and the love He has for them.

His house will be stocked with wealth and riches,
and His love for justice will endure for all time.
When life is dark, a light will shine for those who live rightly—
those who are merciful, compassionate, and strive for justice.

The light that shines for us is the hope that it will not always be this way. There will not always be oppression and hatred. There will not always be nakedness and disease and death. One day our world will be made right and us with it. This is our hope. This is what we want. So it is the way we strive to live.

Good comes to all who are gracious and share freely;
they conduct their affairs with sound judgment.
Nothing will ever rattle them;
the just will always be remembered.

Isn't this what we all want? To be remembered? Guess what? The person who has made the largest impact on human history never won any wars. He didn't write any books. He didn't start any companies. He never went to college. He was never given voting rights. He never invented anything. He never held any position or authority recognized by other men. For three years He relied on a group of women for money while he walked around a tiny corner of the world telling people to love each other. And He loved. And He gave up His own life in order to bring life to the world. My efforts to impact the world hardly ever look like that.

They will not be afraid when the news is bad
because they have resolved to trust in the Eternal.
Their hearts are confident, and they are fearless,
for they expect to see their enemies defeated.

Oh to not be afraid. To trust in the Lord and be confident. Without fear. Why? Because they expect to see their enemies defeated. Have you ever known anyone who expects their enemy to be defeated? Are they defensive? Do they taunt and demand to be listened to? No. They are quiet. They are confident. This is the way we can be with sin and death. They will soon meet their end. It will not be because of our efforts. It will not be because of the effort we spent in getting laws passed or protesting or boycotting or going on mission trips. It will be because of what He has already done. It's going to happen. There will come a day when there is no more tears or sorrow, no brokenness, no hate. This is the gospel. It is not our effort that will bring it about. If it were, there is no way we could be very confident in it. But we can be. We do not have to be afraid of bad news. We do not have to be afraid that things seem to be getting worse. We can feel the excitement of having the odds stacked against us, because we know that our God will come through.

They give freely to the poor;
their righteousness endures for all time;
their strength and power is established in honor.

Those who have been given much, give much. Do you have trouble giving? The issue is not that you just need to hunker down and power through. The issue is that you don't realize how much you have been given. Return to the foot and cross and set down the weights you have been carrying. Experience the freedom of Christ. And give.

The wicked will be infuriated when they see the good man honored!
They will clench their teeth and dissolve to nothing;
and when they go, their wicked desires will follow.

Eventually all this wickedness will dissolve to nothing. It will all be cleansed from the earth and we will be restored. In this, we can hope, and we can be confident. Nothing wicked will last. So why spend your time on something that won't last? Delight in His good commands which lead to life.