The Westminster Shorter Catechism, presented in 1647, asks this question: “What is the chief end of man?” How would you answer that question? The answer provided is this: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Would you identify that as your chief end? Do you enjoy God? For many people, religion is a tedious duty. It is indeed our duty to delight in God, but is it tedious and unpleasant? Much of the way we feel about a life of faith has to do with how we think about God Himself. Let’s take a few moments to consider a passage that might help us to think about God in a different way:

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:3-7)

What a wonderful passage! The psalmist gives us practical advice that can help you and me to think about our life with God in genuinely useful ways. Many times we read “spiritual” writings that sound wonderful, but are no use to us at all. First, the writer tells us to “trust in the Lord.” Do you trust God? Do you trust Him for your finances, your relationships, your dreams? Do you trust God or do you actually mistrust Him? If you and I are trusting God, we don’t have to make things happen; instead we have assurance that God has our best interests at heart. Then, in order to keep our feet on the ground, the writer reminds us to not only trust God but also to act. When we are really trusting God we will act upon that trust by doing. In this case, he tells us to trust and then “do good.” He then tells us to “take delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s desires.” Do you have everything your heart desires? If you’re at all like me, the answer is no. Why? Because the truth is, we don’t fully trust God, desiring things that are bad for us! Then the psalmist tells us to “commit everything to the Lord.” If you and I have committed everything to the Lord, He promises that He will respond to us in several ways. First, He will help us. Second, He will increase our innocence. Third, He will clarify the justice of our cause. Why is that? Because the more we trust God the more just our causes will become. Finally, the psalmist reminds us that we must “be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act.” Do you do this? Do you take the time to wait while God tells you what He wants you to do…or do you simply go out and try to make things happen to get the results you want?

The Bible says if we trust God, take delight in Him and commit our actions to Him, we will experience peace, delight, and satisfaction in Him. Today, God doesn’t want you just to obey Him, He wants you to enjoy Him forever...and that's very Good News!