Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share “The Power of Joy and Thanksgiving” No. 6 by Rev. Toru Asai
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
“The Power of Joy and Thanksgiving” No. 6 by Rev. Toru Asai
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: (Ps 37:5).
If you want to maintain your joy in God, it is essential that you stay away from worries and anxieties. Worries and anxieties come when you do not trust in God. Not trusting God, you try to solve your problems and meet your needs with your own ideas and power. You do that by wishing that everything will go well, but at the same time, worrying that you are not good enough to succeed. Worries always come when you depend upon someone who is not almighty, including yourself. So, the above scripture says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.” Pay attention to the last part, “he will do this.”
The verb ‘to commit’ in Hebrew is galal. It means to roll something like a stone, a scroll, or even a garment. The “way” in this verse can be looked as something like a rolled carpet on which you walk. You are to roll it upon the Lord so that he will make you succeed. Here is another verse that speaks of the same truth:
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Prov 16:3).
The verb ‘to commit’ is the same galal. But this time, the object is “whatever you do” instead of “your way.” In fact, the Hebrew word “way (delek)” means the way of living and doing things in your life, and “whatever you do” means the same as “your way.” When you commit your way, whatever you do, your plans will succeed because you know that it is God himself who will do it.
The story of Jehoshaphat king of Judah in 2 Chr 20 illustrates this point very well—what it means to commit your way to the Lord, and how God himself carries out your plans when you do so. The story tells you also of the process of how the king and his people came to commit their way to the Lord. There are certain steps to take when you commit your way to him.
Note that king Jehoshaphat prayed first saying that God is the God of heaven who rules over all the kingdoms. In other words, he confessed that God is almighty, and is able to do everything.
O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend (2 Chr 20:5-6)?
But it did not mean, yet, in the mind of the king, that God would deliver him and his people from the vast army they were facing that time. Believing that God has power to everything in a general sense does not completely help you when it comes to specific problems and needs you have. Or, referring to God who did mighty works in the past does not mean, in your mind, that he is with you right now and will work for you, though it does encourage you. You need to come to have faith believing that God is with you, and will do something specifically for what you are facing right now. So, Jehoshaphat went on to pray:
But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt … O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you (vv. 10-12).
He said, “For we have no power to face this vast army … We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” This is an important preliminary step before you actually commit your way to the Lord. And the rest of God’s deliverance work will come quickly.
View all episodes
By Davar Kingdom of GodCommit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: (Ps 37:5).
If you want to maintain your joy in God, it is essential that you stay away from worries and anxieties. Worries and anxieties come when you do not trust in God. Not trusting God, you try to solve your problems and meet your needs with your own ideas and power. You do that by wishing that everything will go well, but at the same time, worrying that you are not good enough to succeed. Worries always come when you depend upon someone who is not almighty, including yourself. So, the above scripture says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.” Pay attention to the last part, “he will do this.”
The verb ‘to commit’ in Hebrew is galal. It means to roll something like a stone, a scroll, or even a garment. The “way” in this verse can be looked as something like a rolled carpet on which you walk. You are to roll it upon the Lord so that he will make you succeed. Here is another verse that speaks of the same truth:
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Prov 16:3).
The verb ‘to commit’ is the same galal. But this time, the object is “whatever you do” instead of “your way.” In fact, the Hebrew word “way (delek)” means the way of living and doing things in your life, and “whatever you do” means the same as “your way.” When you commit your way, whatever you do, your plans will succeed because you know that it is God himself who will do it.
The story of Jehoshaphat king of Judah in 2 Chr 20 illustrates this point very well—what it means to commit your way to the Lord, and how God himself carries out your plans when you do so. The story tells you also of the process of how the king and his people came to commit their way to the Lord. There are certain steps to take when you commit your way to him.
Note that king Jehoshaphat prayed first saying that God is the God of heaven who rules over all the kingdoms. In other words, he confessed that God is almighty, and is able to do everything.
O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend (2 Chr 20:5-6)?
But it did not mean, yet, in the mind of the king, that God would deliver him and his people from the vast army they were facing that time. Believing that God has power to everything in a general sense does not completely help you when it comes to specific problems and needs you have. Or, referring to God who did mighty works in the past does not mean, in your mind, that he is with you right now and will work for you, though it does encourage you. You need to come to have faith believing that God is with you, and will do something specifically for what you are facing right now. So, Jehoshaphat went on to pray:
But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt … O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you (vv. 10-12).
He said, “For we have no power to face this vast army … We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” This is an important preliminary step before you actually commit your way to the Lord. And the rest of God’s deliverance work will come quickly.