Few men have had a life of prayer such as David Brainerd. His work among the American Indians has long been remembered. Brainerd diary reads like pages from the heavenly record of angels, who note the answers to the prayers through the centuries. On one occasion during a severe storm, Brainerd crept into a hollow log for shelter.
While waiting there he spent his time praying for the Indians. When mealtime came David was startled when a little squirrel at the opening of the log chattered a moment, left some nuts and disappeared. David ate those nuts. For three days the storm continued unabated, he remained in the log. God sent the squirrel daily to feed this man of such faith and trust.
In Psalm 37, David wrote “a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked” (Ps.37:15-16). The little of one good man is contrasted with the riches of many wicked. Righteousness is of far greater value than all other riches combined. While it might seem like the righteous have a limit in material wealth in this life, they have the greatest wealth on earth.
Their real wealth is not visible to the human eye; they have a heavenly father who supplies their every need according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). While the wicked derive their happiness from the abundance of his wealth, the joy of the righteous is a gift and it springs from within. The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).
Jesus said “take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses”(Luke 12:15). When we live with the attitude that our life consist in what we possess, we can live in covetousness and covetousness is idolatry (Col. 3:5). Covetous men by gaping after more, lose the pleasure of that which they posses.
A godly man has greater enjoyment and more satisfaction from a little than the wicked can have from the largest fortune. He has a soul that can be satisfied; His desires are moderate. He is contented with his circumstances and is pleased with his lot. Riches and poverty are more in the heart than in the hand. He is wealthy who is contented and he is poor who wants more.
When one’s life is not dominated by acquiring material things, he can have contentment God’s will for his life. Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world (1 Tim. 6:6-10). Contentment is a frame of mind which is completely independent of all outward things and which carries the secret of happiness within itself.
Contentment never comes from the possession of external things. We can only find contentment when our hearts are rooted in eternal things. Contentment comes when one lives with an eternal perspective. Godliness brings an almost unbelievable contentment for those whose real home is heaven. It requires just a little material wealth to satisfy a man who knows he is a citizen of another country.
Better is the little that the uncompromising righteous have than the abundance of possessions of many who are wicked. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble (Prov. 15:16). In our materialistic world, we constantly want more and we fear living with little. Yet life with little is better if lived with reverence and fear of the Lord than with abundance of possessions obtained wickedly.
Better is a little with righteousness, than vast wealth without justice. Someone who has great wealth but wicked is worse off than the righteous who has little materially in this world. The righteous with little rightly obtained wealth have a peaceful conscience and hope of heaven. Much wealth without justice can never give a peaceful conscience, freedom and many other things the righteous enjoy.
If godliness is great riches in this life, what will it be in eternity? Since whatever the wicked has cannot last, the little that the righteous man has is better than all that the wicked possess. A righteous life is the best long-term investment strategy. The righteous look upon the little earthly blessings as a token of God’s everlasting love and a pledge of eternal glory; this is a fountain of comfort which is better than life.
The arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholds the righteous. The wicked often enrich themselves by unjust means. Most of the time they have a great deal of power and with this they work out their iniquitous plans. However, their “arms” are not indestructible. The power to execute wicked purposes will eventually be destroyed, but divine power is indestructible.
The Lord upholds the righteous, so that they do not sink under the weight of their afflictions or get crushed by the violence of their enemies. He upholds them both in their integrity and in their prosperity. The reward of the righteous is to be upheld by God’s own arms. The righteous are upheld by God and endure, while the wicked fall and are cut off.
The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. God knows those who are striving to obey Him and do what is right. He keeps track of them and all their days of service. God knows their dark days and he will be their light. He knows their sunny days and he will be their shelter. He knows their last day and he will be their confidence. He knows their resurrection day and he knows that their inheritance shall be forever.”
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. When the wicked country of Israel was about to go through severe drought because of idol worship, Prophet Elijah was command by God to hide by the Brook Cherith. There the ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and evening; and he drank from the brook (1 Kings 17:1-7).
After sometimes the brook dried up. God told Elijah “go to Zarephath and live there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” When he got to the gate of the city, a widow was there gathering sticks to make what she thought would be the last meal before dying. Elijah told her God says ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth’ (1 Kings 17:8-15).
When this was happening to Elijah, back home Jezebel was massacring the prophets of God because one of them had caused the drought. Another servant of God called Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves. He fed them with bread and water which were now scarce commodities (I Kings 18:4). Long before the drought God had providentially placed Obadiah in the king’s palace possibly for that very purpose.
God’s promises to the righteous should secure them such contentment that they need not envy the prosperity of evil-doers. They should know to their comfort that, one- they shall inherit the earth (Ps. 37:9-11). Jesus made this promise too (Matt. 5:5). They shall inherit as much of it, as God’s infinite wisdom sees good for them. They have the promise of the life that now is (1 Tim. 4:8, 1 Cor. 3:21, 22).
Two- they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Perhaps they do not have abundance of wealth to delight in; but they have abundance of peace (John 14:27, Phil 4:7, Isa. 26:3) which is far better. They have tranquillity of mind, peace with God and peace in God. Great peace have those who love God’s law and nothing causes them to stumble (Ps 119:165).
For thus says the High and Lofty one who inhabits eternity ... “I dwell with him who has a contrite and humble spirit... For the iniquity of his covetousness I was angry and struck him...i have seen his ways and will heal him...and restore comforts to him ...peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near...but the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest , whose waters cast up mire and dirt. there is no peace for the wicked (Isa. 57:15-21)
Three- they have a promise that God knows their days (Ps.37:18). He takes particular notice of them, of all they do and of all that happens to them. He keeps account of the days of their service, and not one day's work shall go unrewarded. He knows the days of their suffering, that for those also they may receive recompense. He knows their bright days and their prosperity; he knows their cloudy and dark days and as the day is so shall the strength be (Deut 33:25).
Four-they have a promise that their inheritance shall be forever. They have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time… Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9)
Five- they have a promise that in the worst of times it shall go well with them (Ps.37:19). They shall not be ashamed of their hope and confidence in God, nor of the profession of faith. Instead their faith in God will be a comfort to them and a real anchor of their soul in stormy times. When others droop they shall keep their heads upright with confidence: Even in the days of famine, when those around them are dying, they shall be satisfied.
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