Committing our way to the Lord

Notes from a sermon heard on Sunday 1 January 2012

Psalm 37 verses 1 – 13

“Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.”

This is a word that is recorded for our instruction and good.  It is all about committing our way to the Lord and committing ourselves to the Lord.  It was penned under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The Psalmist David says in verse 25 “I have been young and now am old”.  An experienced man of God, battle scarred man of God, comes to the juncture of his life and is thinking of others.  We want to follow him in the pathway of blessing with all the many trials and tribulations.  David wasn’t excused any of those, puts pen to paper to say to you and I “listen there is one thing I would plead with you to do, if you want blessing in your life commit your way to the Lord.”  Have you given time to really commit yourself to the Lord even today?  Think of a few points about this text of scripture.

The Psalmists lays before us a choice or challenge.  At the outset of this year what are we going to do with God?  Remember Pilate when Christ was brought before him on the judgement day.  People had enough of this blasphemer, scoundrel and wanted rid of him.  Pilate could find no fault in him as he looked and examined all the facts.  “I can find no fault in this man.” (Luke 23 verse 14)  His wife comes to him and tells him to get rid of him.  She had suffered much in a dream because of Jesus (Matthew 27 verse 19).  Pilate looks to the crowd and asks the question “what shall I then do with Jesus?”  What are you going to do today?  Are you coming in sincerity, laying all down in front of the Lord and saying “here I am take me, use me, in this new year?”  This psalm is written for me because it says in verse 1 “Fret not thyself”.  It is a Psalm written for those who worry, get over anxious.  The Lord says “what are you fretting about?  Why is your soul anxious?  I have you in the palm of my hand.  I will never leave you nor forsake you.  I will not abandon you.”  Isn’t that wonderful as we go into a new year?  He is able to fulfil and meet that need in your life.  Here is a little Psalm just for people who fret and the answer is found in verse 5.  Here’s David in his latter years.  It is not worth fretting about.  Commit thy way to the Lord.  That little word “way” means a mode of contact.  In other words the way we live our lives, our lifestyles, everything that can affect our lifestyles.  Here the word says we are to commit it to God.  What are the things affecting our lifestyles?  Our relationships – both business, personal and socially.  Remember the children of Israel coming out of Egypt.  9 plagues they had endured then God said there would be one more – the firstborn son would be killed.  Only the blood of a lamb saved the children of Israel.  The blood represents the blood of Christ shed for us.  It was the mighty hand of God.  Blood brought you out of the penalty of sin in your life.  In Exodus 12 the redeemed people then became a rebellious people.  40 years walked in the wilderness wouldn’t come into the land of Canaan, the land of blessing.  They turned around.  False spies went in to spy out the land and came back with stories of giants and buildings so tall to conquer.  For 40 years the children of Israel wandered in a state of rebellion (Numbers 13).  We need to be careful.  God brings us out from the world of sin wants to bring us into blessing of God.  Will we see the blessing of God in our lives?  In this New Year we have to have obedience if we want to see that blessing.  Thankfully we can commit our way to the Lord.  God brought the people back to Kadesh Barnea once more.  That is sometimes what happens in our lives.  He brings us back to the place were we lost out just as he did with the children of Israel.  There is no blessing until you cross that river and go into the land.  That is the same for you.  There is something that has to be made right.  God puts his finger on it.  Remember the Lord warns against taking the Lord’s Supper until you have made restitution with someone you have wronged.  We have to go back and make amends.  The people of Israel go through into the land of Canaan.  When they came into that land they had to drive out the enemy.  We are redeemed by the precious blood of God of course we are but we have got to drive out the enemy.  There are so many things that crop up in our lives that could be an enemy for the child of God.  The enemy of apathy, carelessness, coldness, idleness, anger, malice, jealousy, temper.  Keep us out of the blessing of God.  You don’t tolerate them but drive them out.  Colossians 3 verses 6 to 11 “For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him; Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision, nor uncircumcision, Barbaraian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all and in all.”  Ephesians 4 verses 24 and 25 “And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour for we are members one of another.” The children of Israel had to go into the land and drive out the enemy.  Psalms 36 and 37 David had a specific problem – he was speaking to people who were looking at others.  Be very careful here.  Asaph was a singer in the choir and wrote a Psalm about not looking to others.

The control the Psalmist is talking about.  If we commit our way unto the Lord he is now in control of our lives.  Hebrews 13 verse 5 “let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have”.  Until we leave all with the Lord we will not receive contentment like we have never experienced before.  Not talking about religion here or communion table.  This is your soul in your body we are talking about.  One day you will take your last breath.  For the last second you will gaze around you and then go out into eternity for ever.  It will not matter what church you belong to.  The moment you close your eyes in death only one thing you need for all eternity is Jesus Christ.  Have you got Christ today?  In your heart?  Are you trusting him?  Commit your way unto the Lord if you are not saved.  Come to Christ and give him your all and he will prove to you he is a great Saviour.  Philippians 4 verse 11 “for I have learned whatsoever state I am therewith to be content.”  Is he in control of your life today?  You have to commit your all to him, trust also in him, a point of committal, point of also going on through in the flesh.  Paul had and he committed that to the Lord and was content about it.  Are you happy with your lot today?  We must depend on the Lord to take us through life.  Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.

It is a life centred in the Lord.  Commit thy way, give him your life today.  He is not talking to unsaved but believers today.  Have we ever committed our way to the Lord?  Or are we still living our own way or is the Lord Lord of our lives today?  Are we committed to him today?

The comfort is he shall bring it to pass.  Doesn’t say how or when but he will bring it to pass.  Fanny Crosby was a great hymn writer.  In her infancy she took an eye infection.  The doctor prescribed the wrong remedy and completely destroyed her eyes.  At the age of 4 Fanny’s neighbours and friends gathered up money to take her to a specialist.  He did his tests and told Fanny “you will never see again.”  The family were totally devastated.  In later years as she brought blessing thorough her wonderful hymns she had written Fanny said to her mother “if I had a choice I would still choose to remain blind for when I die the first face that I will see will be the face of the one who died to save my soul.”  Will we commit ourselves to him today?  Will we say “Lord here I am, take me today, I want this year, the rest of my life to be lived for you.”  Laying your all to the Lord will bring you into the land of blessing.