by John Fischer, King David and Mike High
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. Psalm 37:4-6
Remember how this Psalm started? Don’t worry about the wicked. Don’t get all wrapped up in how bad the world is getting. It’s so easy to follow all the negative prompts on the news and the internet and get all twisted up inside as to what to do. That’s the beauty of this Psalm. David tells us what to do.
Instead of getting all worked up over how bad things are (something you can always do, by the way), instead, do this: Take delight in the Lord! Wow, weren’t expecting that one, were you? What a contrast! I have to say it again because it is so far away from those worries that threaten to control us. Stop! Take delight in the Lord!
What does that mean to take delight in the Lord? It means to rejoice in the fact that He is there — that He is in His heaven and the earth is His footstool. That He is in charge. That nothing happens without His permission. That there is no strong man here on earth who can stand up to Him — no nation, no army, no weapon of war. It means to take delight in who He is — “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” It’s impossible to focus on how bad things are when you are delighting in the Lord.
Then David says, “Commit everything you do to the Lord.” Which means to turn over everything to Him. It is no longer yours. The results are His. The purposes are His. Whatever you do, give it over to Him. That’s what we are here for. We live for Him; we do not live for ourselves, and what He can accomplish through us.
And when you do this, you will find that He will cause you to shine like a mysterious light in the darkest of night. Yes, not only will you be overcoming the cause of your worry, you will be dispelling the darkness in this world for you and for those around you. And whatever cause you choose to take up, if you commit it fully to Him, He will make it shine like the noonday sun. This is more than just getting by in this crazy, chaotic world, this is having an impact for good in this crazy, chaotic world.
This last word about the justice of our cause is deeply personal to Marti and me, in that we have spent our whole life working up to something that we believe will shine like the noonday sun. Stay tuned; you will hear more about this in the future, but I know that God has led us to this verse as a confirmation.
In the same way I believe He has confirmed the justice of the cause that has captured the energy and direction of MemberPartner Mike High for the last three years. Best to let him tell you about it.
For the last 30 years in Tucson, Arizona, my company, Aim High Associates, has been in investment real estate within communities filled with trendy shops and beautiful homes. Juxtaposed to these communities, however, are those who struggle to survive for all kinds of reasons. I always chose to avoid these people, often stepping around them or crossing to the other side of the street. My nightmares were not only about their lack of comfort, safety, and control, but their extreme isolation and loss of connection.
Perhaps motivated by an awareness of this fear of isolation and inability to connect, I found myself reaching outside of myself to where I could no longer ignore people traversing the streets alone and unnoticed.
I returned to a group of my real estate investors to tell them I could never turn my back on these people again. “It is all about connecting,” I explained – “breathing the same air, walking the same streets and longing for the same things . . . peace, understanding, respect.” As the Lord would have it, these real estate investors responded in-kind as we set about to invest in homes for those deserving second chances for all kinds of reasons. That was three years ago. Since then we have purchased property and partnered with nonprofit organizations that specialize in transitional housing for those requiring security as each begins his or her way from incarceration or alcohol/drug dependency to a recovered life capable of thriving independently. It is in the in-between time our transitional homes provide what’s required to find and regain strength, dignity, and a willingness to become visible so they never go unnoticed again. – MH
God will bring to light the justice of your cause in the midst of this broken world. Don’t have a cause? Get one.
John Fischer The Catch 
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus.
~ Colossians 3:17
Colossians 3:8-17 (NLT) – A reminder for these days…
Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free.
Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.
Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.
And always be thankful.
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Thanks for the greatest message and thanks to Mike High for what he is doing for so many thru his real estate company helping so many get into a nice home. Jesus is always the way no matter what and especially now with so much chaos. We turn to him and will feel so much peace and not so much anxiety. I know with my mental health problems, medications and counseling to help. Thank God every day no matter what. Always remember the devil likes to see turmoil all the time. We must never let him win.
Sometimes knowing a bit of history can help us delight in the Lord, commit everything to Him. Remember 1949? That was the year when the newly established Chinese communist, atheistic power forced all missionaries out of their country. Oh how we in the west lamented that tragedy. But God was not threatened. Today, the underground church of China is one of the most dynamic churches in the world and all without Western missionaries!!!
And, there is more. Wait for it, wait for it. Would you believe that another truly thriving church in the world today is in …………. yes, it’s in Iran. By the way, there is a very lively church in Cuba as well.
Why worry – God is not deceived by evil powers. We can rest in Him – trust Him.
I’m struck by a seeming disconnect between the first half of this article and the second half. On the one hand, “Don’t get all wrapped up in how bad the world is getting.” On the other hand, Mike High wouldn’t have done anything if he hadn’t become deeply concerned about something that was wrong with his part of the world.
If Mike had thought that “taking delight in the Lord” just meant grooving with the Lord in quality time in his prayer closet, the good work God wanted to do through him would not have gotten done.
I think the key that makes it not a disconnect is this: In delighting in the Lord, we are called to see what he sees and care about what he cares about: to be sensitive to the causes or “desires” he lays on our heart. When you take on what is HIS heart’s desire, “he will give you your heart’s desires.” Then you can move forward on your heart’s desires, knowing that the justice of your cause — because it is HIS cause — will shine.
Thank you, Mike, for doing that so beautifully. Thank you, John, for telling us Mike’s story.