“Trust (rely on and have confidence) in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and feed (securely) on His faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him also and He will do it.” Psalm 37:3-5 Amplified

Formula For Life

 Shortly after I had committed my life to the LORD and He changed me forever, I sought counsel from a pastor at church for a step-by-step formula to follow the LORD. Of course, he chuckled and prayed with me. He led me to the above section of scripture and we discussed living by faith daily.

I visited these verses frequently over the years. These words: trust, dwell (or abide), delight, commit and, later on in verse 7, rest are dependable truths to deepen our relationship with Jesus, walking in His will with obedience, as He has created us to do.

Trusting involves letting go of ourselves, our wills, our ways and our plans, and leaning completely on the Holy Spirit’s leading by His Word and His light deep within our hearts.

Dwelling is staying put, even when painful, or when others tell us different. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4). Press on through!

Delighting is the enjoyment of knowing we are living in His smile, because we are seeking Him and desiring to trust and abide, feeding on His faithfulness. He changes our desires to meet His own for our best life and His glory.

Committing is to give over completely. To embrace, turn away from the old, and be willing to do whatever it takes. It is also keeping our word, in a marriage, job, ministry, relationship and obligations, giving these things over to His leading. Like the old song: I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.

Then we rest in the peace we receive because His presence is with us. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Life is not easy, but as we walk with our Lord daily, trusting His journey in us, there is great hop—and He will be the delight of our hearts!

Dear Lord, thank You that You first loved us and that You enable us to have a relationship with You. You are holy, yet You love us and You gave all for us to have fellowship and life in You. How can we not trust, dwell, delight, commit and rest in You and Your promises? You created us for this purpose. In Jesus’ name. Amen.