As I read Psalm 112 this morning, I note so many worthy aims. The psalmist writes:
Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.
2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn[c] will be lifted high in honor.
10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
I think of these behaviors that I pray God develops in me and my family:
Blessing comes to those who fear God, who love His commands, who live gracious, compassionate, and righteous lives. Blessing comes to the generous and to the just. What I love about Psalm 112 is the extraordinary promise that this kind of living sets you up to “have no fear of bad news” and to never be shaken! Can you imagine? What a life! I pray this morning that the Holy Spirit produces in me this gracious, compassionate, God-fearing, and God-loving spirit at all times.
I think of all the bad news that could come today and all the things that might shake me. I don’t have to worry about anything because God gives a steadfast, trusting heart. He allows everything that happens to us to work for our God and His glory, so nothing, really, harms us.