Psalm 37:3-4—Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart (NKJV).

In my devotional reading earlier this week was Psalm 37, and in this Psalm are the words above. I have read them many times, but it was today (Wednesday) that I took pause to reflect on them. I like the way the NKJV reads in v. 3. Trust….and feed… These words resonate with me. When I think about the psychology of man, especially my own, I think about how the Lord can teach me to bear up under the loads and stresses of life. The answer is to trust in the Lord and feed on His faithfulness. What feeding on His faithfulness means to me is that I meditate on His Word. I learn nothing of the Lord faithfulness, but that which comes from His Word. Yes, it is true, I can speak of the Lord’s faithfulness in regards to my life. Certainly there is a feeding quality to that and not one to be minimized. Even with that, however, it is the Lord’s Word throughout the generations of man that brings me comfort and strength. Not every translation reads similar to the NKJV. The ESV reads, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” This does not communicate as effectively to me as the NKJV. The ASV is similar to the NKJV, while the JPS (Jewish Publication Society) reads similar to the NKJV, but “cherish faithfulness.” Finally, the NET (New English Translation) reads, “Trust in the LORD and do what is right! Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.” The NET simply does not convey the same idea in the latter half of the verse as the translations mentioned. That does not mean, however, that it is wrong in its translation, only that the sense of the passage is not entirely the same. When read in the context of verses 3 and 4, the sense is clear and, regardless of translations, an accurate idea is conveyed. Trust the Lord, do what is right, He will care for you. RT