Psalm 37:5 - Commit everything to the Lord; Trust Him and discover what's best happens.

Psa. 37:5; Commit everything to the Lord; Trust Him and discover 
what's best happens. 

Psa 37:5 (KJV)  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; 
and he shall bring it to pass. 

Psa 37:5 (TEV)  Give yourself to the LORD; trust in him, and he 
will help you; 

Psa 37:5 (NLT)  Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, 
and he will help you. 

CONTEXT

Security of Those Who Trust in the LORD, and Insecurity of the 
Wicked. 

Psalm 37: In Praise of Trust. What are the characteristics and 
the benefits of trust in the LORD? This, one of the best-loved of 
the psalms, explains. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

THE JOYS OF TRUST (PS. 37)
If you were to pick two psalms to memorize, the first would 
probably be the 23rd. But the second surely would be this great psalm in 
praise of trust. 
No psalm has more comforting verses, more verses inviting 
lengthy meditation. No psalm has more verses that speak so directly to 
the human heart. 
Because of this, it's almost sacrilege to analyze this psalm: to 
break its thoughts apart, to look for similarities and themes. And 
yet, how much this psalm tells us about the nature, and about the 
benefits, of trust. 
If we seek to probe the nature of trust, we find in this psalm 
that trust is: 
Looking to God and doing good (v. 3).
Delighting in the LORD (v. 4).
Committing our way to the LORD (v. 5).
Not fretting when the wicked succeed (v. 7).
Refraining from anger and wrath (v. 8).
Being satisfied with little (v. 16).
Giving generously to others (v. 21).
Turning from evil to do good (v. 27).
Planting God's Law in our hearts (v. 31).
Waiting for the LORD (v. 34).
Keeping His way (v. 34).
Taking refuge in the LORD (v. 40).
Trust is in fact a way of life, the way of life we choose when 
we commit ourselves to the LORD. 
This same psalm reveals the outcome of trust. One who actively 
commits himself to the LORD can expect these benefits: 
To enjoy safe pastures (v. 3).
To receive the desires of his heart (v. 4).
To be vindicated (vv. 5-6).
To inherit the land (vv. 9, 22, 34).
To enjoy great peace (v. 11).
To be upheld by God (v. 17).
To gain an enduring inheritance (v. 18).
To enjoy plenty in days of famine (v. 19).
To be upheld by the LORD (v. 24).
To always live securely (v. 27).
To never be forsaken by God (v. 28).
To not slip (v. 31).
To see the wicked cut off (v. 34).
To have a future (v. 37).
To be helped and delivered by the LORD (v. 40).
The beauty of this psalm aside, its teaching is vital to our 
well-being. Only by an active trust in God, expressed in the choices made 
each day of our lives, can we experience the many benefits of a 
personal relationship with the LORD. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

CROSS REFERENCES

Psalm 55:22 (KJV)  Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall 
sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth 
for you.  

Philip. 4:6-7 (KJV)  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing 
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be 
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all 
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  

Proverbs 16:3 (KJV)  Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy 
thoughts shall be established.  

COMMENTARY / APPLICATION

The literal meaning of this verse is: "Roll your way onto 
Jehovah and trust upon Him, and He works." This brings to our attention 
the immediacy of God's action once we commit, or "roll," burdens of 
any kind from our hands into His. Whether our burden is a sorrow, 
difficulty, physical need, or concern over the salvation of a loved one, "He 
works." When does He work? "He works" now. We act as if God does not 
immediately accept our trust in Him and thereby delays accomplishing what we 
ask Him to do. We fail to understand that "He works" as we commit. 
"He works" now! Praise Him for the fact that this is true. Our 
expectation that He will work is the very thing enabling the Holy Spirit to 
accomplish what we have "rolled" onto Him.... "He works!" Take comfort from 
this and do not try to pick it up again. What a relief there is in 
knowing He really is at work on our difficulty! And when someone says, 
"But I don't see any results," pay him no attention. "He works" if 
you have "rolled" your burdens onto Him and are "looking unto Jesus" 
(Heb. 12:2 KJV) to do it. Your faith may be tested, but "He works." 
His Word is true! A. H. F. [Streams In The Desert By Cowman] 

This committing of your way to Him must be continuous, not just 
one isolated action. And no matter how unexpected or extraordinary 
His guidance may seem and no matter how close to the edge of the 
cliff He may lead you, never snatch the guiding reins from His hands. 
Are you willing to submit all your ways to God, allowing Him to pass 
judgment on them? There is nothing a Christian needs to more closely 
examine than his own confirmed views and habits, for we are so prone to 
taking God's divine approval of them for granted. And that is why some 
Christians are so anxious and fearful. They have obviously not truly 
committed their way to the Lord and left it with Him. They took it to Him 
but walked away with it again. Selected [Streams In The Desert By 
Cowman] 

God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the things we 
have calculated on without taking Him into account. We get into 
circumstances which were not chosen by God, and suddenly we find we have been 
calculating without God;.... Jesus said--"Let not your heart be troubled." God 
will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command--"Let 
not . . ." Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order 
to do it, until you get into the habit of putting God first and 
calculating with Him in view. [My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald 
Chambers] 

Commitment is the beginning of trusting God. David calls us to 
take delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do (our 
"way") to him. But how do we do this? To 'delight' in someone means to 
experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only 
when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must 
know him better. Knowledge of God's great love for us will indeed 
give us delight.  To 'commit' ourselves to the Lord means entrusting 
everything--our lives, families, jobs, possessions--to his 
control and guidance. 
 To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in him (37:5), 
believing that he can care for us better than we can ourselves. We should 
be willing to wait patiently (37:7) for him to work out what is 
best for us.  [Life Application SB] 

It takes time for God to color a rose or to grow a great oak 
tree. And it takes time for Him to make bread from wheat fields. He 
takes the soil, then grinds and softens it. He enriches it and wets it 
with rain showers and with dew. Then He brings the warmth of life to 
the small blade of grass, later grows the stalk and the amber grain, 
and finally provides bread for the hungry. All this takes time. 
Therefore we sow the seed, till the ground, and then wait and trust until 
God's purpose has been fulfilled. We understand this principle when it 
comes to planting a field, and we need to learn the same lesson 
regarding our prayer life. It often takes time for God to answer prayer. 
J. H. M. [Streams In The Desert By Cowman] 

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall 
bring it to pass.".... He will be to you as the shadow of a great rock 
in a weary land. He says, "Come unto Me,.... and I will give you 
rest,"--rest that the world can neither give nor take away.... Words cannot 
describe the peace and joy possessed by him who takes God at His word. 
Trials do not disturb him, slights do not vex him. Self is crucified. 
Day by day his duties may become more taxing, his temptations 
stronger, his trials more severe; but he does not falter; for he receives 
strength equal to his need..... {MYP 98} 

God's precious promises are not given to strengthen man in a 
presumptuous course or for him to rely upon when he rushes needlessly into 
danger. The Lord requires us to move with a humble dependence upon His 
providence. "It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." In God is 
our prosperity and our life. Nothing can be done prosperously 
without the permission and blessing of God. {3T 482} 

Christ sacrificed everything for man, in order to make it 
possible for him to gain heaven. Now it is for fallen man to show what he 
will sacrifice on his own account, for Christ's sake, that he may win 
immortal glory. Those who have any just sense of the magnitude of 
salvation, and of its cost, will never murmur that their sowing must be in 
tears, and that conflict and self-denial are the Christian's portion in 
this life.....  {MYP 98} 

The word "trust" is the heart of faith and is the Old Testament 
word given to the infant, or early, stages of faith. The word "faith" 
conveys more an act of the will, while the word "belief " conveys an act 
of the mind or intellect, but trust is the language of the heart. 
The words "faith" and "belief" refer more to a truth believed or to 
something expected to happen. Trust implies more than this, for it sees 
and feels and it leans on those who have a great, living, and 
genuine heart of love. Therefore let us "trust also in him" (Ps. 37:5 
KJV), through all the delays, in spite of all the difficulties, and in 
the face of all the rejection we encounter in life. And in spite of 
our feelings and evidence to the contrary, and even when we cannot 
understand our way or our situation, may we still "trust also in him; [for] 
he shall bring it to pass." The way will open, our situation will 
be changed, and the end result will be peace. The cloud will 
finally be lifted, and the light of eternal noonday will shine at last. 
[Streams In The Desert By Cowman]