Psalm 37 is an amazing passage. So many good verses.
1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
26 He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.
read
2 Kings 11:17-12:2
Jehoiada is a priest of Judah at a time when Judah has been worhiping Baal instead of God.
In this passage, he arranges for the anointing of Joash as king. Joash is 7 years old! This may not be as odd as it sounds. I've heard stories that King "Tut" wasn't even a teenager yet when he died.
Anyway, in this passage, Jehoiada leads a revolt against the worship of Baal, tearing down the altar and images, kiling the priest of Baal, and anointing Joash as Yahweh's king.
think
1. That about Jehoiada to you most admire or dislike?
I most admire that he made it his life work to teach and train the young king, Joash. He also probably risked his life to protect him as the event was taking place, and by leading the revolt against Baal-worship.
2. How would you like, or not like, to resemble Jehoiada as a teacher and leader?
Wow. What would it be like to be so respected as to be the teacher of the king? That would be amazing. I would love to be held in confidence by a king, and be his teacher. It would, of course, be a very awesome and humbling responsibility, not to be taken lightly at all. It would require great study and devotion to God, as well.
The downside would be that kings' reigns, as a general rule were very volatile and fragile. In an instant, the reign and life of a king could be snuffed out, and all of his "entourage" with it.
pray
If there is anyone who looks up to me, I need to be praying for them. I'm also instructed to ask God who he is asking me to reach out to as an informal teacher or leader. I will pray about what things I pass on to others.
live
As I sit quietly with God, lifting up to him those who might be looking up to me, as enquire as to what I need to know about myself. I will look for these things in the coming days.
Father, let me pass on only good things to anyone who comes in contact with me.
Grace and peace, y'all!