Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Some of my heroes from the Bible—even heroes of my faith here on earth—when I look at their lives, they all have one theme in common, and it's this: they're deeply flawed people.
Heroes of the Faith Were Flawed
I know that's hard for us to understand sometimes, because when you look at somebody like David, you're like, man, but he was a man after God's own heart. How is he deeply flawed?
When I look at Apostle Paul, he had a very dark background. He's one of my heroes of the faith. What I love about these characters from the Bible is that they've always found a way to get back up, no matter how many times they fall. They had a way of returning to the Lord.
A Wisdom Psalm from David's Later Years
In our text today, this is known as a wisdom Psalm. This is David speaking to us in his later years. That means he has some wisdom, so we must lean in.
If we read Psalm 37, the question that he tackles is, why are the wicked prospering, and it seems like the godly are suffering?
The Wicked's Success is Short-Lived
If you read verse 20, David says, "But the wicked will die. The LORD's enemies are like flowers in a field. They will disappear like smoke."
First David says, when it comes to the wicked, their success is short-lived. It's like smoke. It comes and goes. He talks about the wicked, and then he transitions to the godly.
It says, "Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand."
Godly People Will Stumble
I want us to make just a few observations here in this text. The first one is this: Godly people will stumble. If we are in Christ, we will stumble. We will miss the mark.
How we respond when we fail, when we sin, when we miss the mark—says a lot about how we understand the Gospel.
If I truly believe that God is for me when I fail and when I sin, I'm going to run straight to Him. But if I sin and I wallow in my shame and in my pity, and I stay there, that shows me that I don't understand the Gospel.
David reminds us: Listen, you're going to stumble, but you'll never fall.
Fall in God's Hands
Here's why we won't fall—because the Lord holds us by the hand. See, when we fall, we fall in the right direction. We fall in God's hands.
No matter what you're wrestling with today, don't wallow in that condemnation. The enemy wants you to think that you are your failures. You are your temptations. That's what defines you.
Bring Your Sin into the Light
The cross says you're redeemed and you're forgiven. When you fall, fall in the right direction. Here's how you do that: You bring your sin into the light.
If I'm wrestling with something, I'm not going to hold that in. I am going to confess to God. I'm going to confess to people—to a trusted friend—and then I'm going to have a game plan of how I can kill this sin in my life so that it doesn't kill me.
As believers, I want us to understand that God's grip on us is tighter than our grip on Him. That's why you and I will not fall.
