Chuck Larsen

Since God is always available when we need Him, we don’t have to be afraid of anything. If a volcano explodes and melts a mountain—so what? If an earthquake comes and sinks a city—it’s all right! If a hurricane tears across the land causing havoc, we still don’t have to worry. “Even if the world blows up…” we can stand firm, because God is on our side. He is ever ready to help us, defend us, and fight for us. So God says directly to us, “…Calm down, and learn that I am God,” or “Be still and know that I am God,” or simply, “stand silent.” In other words, God is telling us, “Relax, I’ve got everything under control!” What a wonderful thought to carry into any day of the week—God is not panicked by the chaos in our world. He is not shaken. He does not retreat. Instead, He invites us to quiet our hearts, trust His power, and walk in His peace.

Psalm 40 gives us another powerful truth from David’s experience: whenever we go our own way instead of following God’s revealed will, we make a mess of things—an incredible mess. David describes it as falling into “slimy pits,” the kind of life traps we sink into so deeply we cannot escape on our own. These pits are too muddy for our feet to get traction and too slimy for our hands to find a grip. Sin promises freedom, but it always leads to bondage. Rebellion begins as independence but ends in isolation. David admits that when he wandered from God, he was stuck, alone, and helpless. That’s when he cried out to God, confessed his stubbornness, and repented. And what did God do? He heard. He forgave. He rescued. He lifted David out of the pit and set his feet on solid ground again.

But God didn’t stop there. He gave David a new start—with new direction, new purpose, and a new song in his heart. Before, David’s life soundtrack sounded like the songs of independence: “I don’t care what you say, this is my life,” “Don’t fence me in,” “It’s my life, I can do what I want,” “I gotta be me,” or the infamous anthem, “I did it my way.” But after experiencing God’s grace, David began singing a new song of surrender and gratitude—“I did it Yahweh,” giving all glory to God. He writes, “You Lord God have done many wonderful things, and you have planned marvelous things for us.” Yes, He has! No matter how deep the pit, God can pull us out. No matter how many times we fall, He is ready to save. He is so good!

Psalm 38:3-4 says, “Because of my sin, I’m not healthy. My guilt has become too much for me. It is a load too heavy to carry.” David says, “My guilt is ever before me.” These are the words of a man who knew the crushing weight of moral failure. Guilt is not a vague discomfort—it is a real burden that affects body, mind, and soul. David was a king, warrior, poet, and leader, yet guilt threw him to his knees. He felt its poison in his bones and its heaviness in his heart. And, like David, every person must deal with guilt sooner or later. We may try to ignore it, suppress it, or outrun it, but guilt has a way of following us until we finally face it. It is the spiritual shadow we cannot escape by walking faster or pretending it is not there.

People try many ways to manage their guilt. Some try to drown it! Alcohol and drugs represent the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in which people attempt to drown their guilt. But there are many other bodies of water as well; possessions, pleasure, power, and prestige are all minor lakes that serve the purpose. These may distract for a while, but the guilt remains, waiting. Some turn to food. Marlon Brando was once young, trim, and handsome. But later, weighing over four hundred pounds, he confessed, “I’m sorry for all the harm I’ve done and for all the troubles I’ve brought to others in my life. I’ve never been a good parent or a good husband. I’ve been too busy with my own life to have time for others. Now I’m a guilty old man who’s ashamed of the kind of life I’ve led. There’s nothing left for me except eating.” Others deny their guilt altogether. They reject the moral absolutes of God’s Word and adjust their lives downward to match their desires. They claim guilt is nothing more than a lingering relic of Puritanism or a psychological illusion. Still others deflect their guilt by blaming everyone else—their parents, their past, their environment. This game of blame goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.

But sooner or later, all these techniques fail. We find we cannot escape the consequences of our own sinfulness and guilt. David understood well what Jeremiah would later teach in Jeremiah 2:22: “Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is before me, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Guilt is the corrosion of the soul. It cannot be washed off, ignored, numbed, or excused away. So how can we get rid of it? There is only one way—through confession and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. We cannot drown guilt, deny it, or deflect it. But we can dissolve it in the blood of Jesus Christ. Only at the cross do we find true cleansing. Only in Christ do we hear the liberating words, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Psalm 37 contains a very famous verse. I hope you’ve heard it. Verse 4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is an interesting concept. When our connection with God becomes the delight of our hearts, all the yearnings of our lives are satisfied. Lewis argues that it’s as reciprocal as the role of a mirror. We look in it and it returns exactly what it receives. He gets a little deep in his explanation, but if you give it a moment to sink in, I think it will bless you. He writes, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. If it were possible for a created soul fully to ‘appreciate,’ that is, to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme blessedness. To praise God fully we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression. Our joy is no more separable from the praise in which it liberates and utters itself than the brightness a mirror receives is separable from the brightness it sheds.” Here Lewis touches the core of Psalm 37: when God becomes our delight, we discover the fulfillment of desire—not in possession but in worship, not in taking but in beholding and reflecting.

Psalm 37 goes on to list several contrasts between the wicked and the righteous. The wicked live for themselves and abuse others to get what they want. The righteous, on the other hand, seek justice and equity in all relationships. The wicked take—the righteous give. Verse 21 puts it this way, “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously…” Verse 26 continues that the righteous, “are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.” The psalm repeatedly says that the righteous will inherit the land forever, while the wicked will end in destruction. This is not just theological poetry—it is the law of life written into the fabric of creation. When we align our hearts with God, generosity becomes natural. When our joy is found in the Lord, giving is no longer a loss but a celebration. It becomes the overflow of a satisfied heart.

The wicked seek to fulfill their own interests at the expense of others. Therefore, their best interests are never truly served. The righteous seek the welfare of others and, in doing so, discover that they have served their own best interests as well. The bluebird of happiness is the most elusive thing. If you pursue it, it always flies away. If you ignore it and do what’s right, it lands on you. Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it leads us a wild-goose chase, and is never attained.” William Allen White, the journalist and philanthropist of Emporia, Kansas, demonstrated this truth when he gave Peter Pan Park to the city in memory of his daughter Mary, who was killed in a horseback riding accident. When he presented the deed of the property to the mayor, he said: “This is the last kick in a fistful of dollars I am getting rid of today. I have always tried to teach you that there are three kicks in every dollar—one when you make it … the second kick is when you have it … the third kick comes when you give it away.… The big kick is the last one.” Psalm 37 is right—delight in God leads not only to joy but to generosity, and generosity leads to a life of blessing.

This is what happens to those who reject God’s plan for their lives: “…He has no regard for God, he stands insolent before him. He has smooth-talked himself into believing that his evil will never be noticed. Words gutter from his mouth, dishwater dirty. Can’t remember when he did anything decent.” A life lived apart from God eventually sinks into darkness, deception, and decay. The one who ignores God’s purpose begins to trust in his own deceit, convincing himself that nothing is wrong, that his actions go unseen. But a life without God’s direction loses meaning and moral compass—it becomes a downward spiral of self-centeredness. To reject God’s plan is to reject life itself, because His plan is where truth, purpose, and joy reside.

But those who commit their ways to God discover something entirely different—His magnificent, limitless love. “God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, his purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic.” What a description! God’s love isn’t small, shallow, or conditional. It reaches beyond the stars, filling every corner of existence. When we surrender our lives to Him, we’re enveloped in a love that never runs dry. God has a purpose for everything in this world, and He alone administers His plans perfectly. Nothing escapes His attention or control. “Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.” That means He sees you—every tear, every sigh, every step—and He weaves all things together for His good purpose.

In the center of God’s plan, there’s nothing but wonder, excitement, and joy. Life with Him is never dull; it’s rich, vibrant, and full of meaning. “How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, to eat our fill at the banquet you spread as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light.” What a picture of abundance and delight! Under His wings we find safety, in His presence we find satisfaction, and through His light we find understanding. His love not only protects—it nourishes and illuminates our hearts. So, let this be our prayer: Lord, never stop doing “…..your work in welcoming hearts.” May our hearts always stay open to His plans, receptive to His purposes, and responsive to His love. For in His plan, we find everything we were ever meant to be.

I will tell everyone how great God is, so they will praise Him too! When I turned to Him, He took care of my fears, brought excitement back into my life, removed my shame, handled my troubles, and protected me from danger. I can’t keep quiet about that! God’s goodness is too real not to share. “I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy: Join me in spreading the news; together let’s get the word out. God met me more than halfway; he freed me from my anxious fears. Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him.” When we truly experience His grace, everything changes. Fear turns into faith, shame becomes joy, and trouble becomes testimony. Try it and see—God’s plan works every time!

God’s plan for your life will bring real happiness. Those who put God first will lack nothing they need and enjoy all the good things that truly matter. The psalmist reminds us that God watches closely over those who want to do His will: “God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.” There’s safety, provision, and blessing for those who trust Him. So, try it and see! “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him.” There’s no better invitation than that. God’s goodness is not an abstract idea—it’s something to be experienced. Every time we surrender, every time we run to Him, He proves Himself faithful again and again.

That doesn’t mean life will be free of hardship. Of course, we’ll still face pain, loss, and disappointment—but never alone. “If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” When the weight of life presses down, God lifts us up. “Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time. He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken.” He’s a protector, a healer, and a friend in every storm. On the other hand, those who reject God’s will for their lives “…commit slow suicide; they waste their lives hating the good.” That path only leads to emptiness. But “…no one who runs to him loses out.” Every person who turns to God finds peace, purpose, and protection. So, let’s do what the psalmist urges—let’s run to Him!

How happy are those who finally admit they’ve been walking away from God’s plan and turn back with a sincere heart to recommit their lives to Him. There’s no joy quite like a fresh start with God. “Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be—you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself lucky—God holds nothing against you…” The burden of sin, guilt, and regret can crush the spirit, but when God forgives, He erases every mark of failure. He doesn’t hold our mistakes against us; instead, He welcomes us home with open arms and gives us a brand-new beginning. Happiness isn’t found in wealth, status, or success—it’s found in being right with God again.

Nothing is more miserable, discouraging, or meaningless than trying to live outside of God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Life without His guidance feels empty and exhausting. “The pressure never lets up; all the juices of my life dried up.” That’s what happens when we rely on ourselves instead of on God. The stress becomes unbearable, the soul dries out, and everything loses its color and purpose. But the moment we turn back—when we finally confess and come clean—everything changes. “Then I let it all out; I said, ‘I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.’ Suddenly the pressure was gone—my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.” God’s forgiveness is instant and complete. He doesn’t just remove the guilt; He restores our peace, our purpose, and our joy.

And this isn’t true for a select few—it’s true for everyone in the world! God will bless all who run to Him. He will reveal His plan for our lives and guide us in what to do—if only we’ll humble ourselves before Him. “Let me give you some good advice; I’m looking you in the eye and giving it to you straight: Don’t be ornery like a horse or mule that needs bit and bridle to stay on track.” God doesn’t want to force us into obedience; He invites us into trust. Only heartache waits on the path away from Him, but joy, satisfaction, and unending blessings overflow for those who seek His will. “God-defiers are always in trouble; God-affirmers find themselves loved every time they turn around.” So, let’s do what the psalmist says: “Sing together—everyone! All you honest hearts, raise the roof!” We might even sing, “I can’t live, I can’t live, if living is without youuuuuuuu!” For it’s true—real life, real joy, real peace only begin when we’re living with Him.