“I was young and now I am old,
but I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children seeking bread.”
Likely a Psalm of David, Psalm 37 is a collection of instructional wisdom sayings that, like the well-known Psalm 119, is structured as an acrostic poem. The alphabetic pattern functions not only as a mnemonic, but also as a feature of Hebrew poetry and reflection. Though the beauty of the acrostic cannot be preserved through translation, recognizing its intent helps us to understand the intention and depth of the teacher’s reflection.
Nearing the end of the alphabet, verse 25 implements the Psalmist's second personal thought. He reflects on the length and experience of his life and comes to a conclusion based on what he has seen: that God does not abandon his people. The expanse of his life has given him perspective.
In my own reflecting, when I first realized I had a trust problem, it came as a surprise. I thought, “I’m a good Christian girl, I’ve always believed in God, never had a faith crisis, or a rebellious stage…how could I have a trust problem?” Then it hit me, it was easy to superficially trust God with the big things, but on a fundamental, way-I-live-my-life level, my trust problem took root.
As an achieving, overcommitted perfectionist, I have always struggled to give God control; it seemed easier and more natural to rely on myself and my own ability to succeed. Thankfully, as I began to recognize my failure to trust the very Creator of the universe, I was simultaneously trained in “the art of looking back.”
When we practice the art of looking back, we intentionally trace God’s hand in our lives proving his faithfulness to our forgetful minds and near-sighted hearts.
Once my eyes were opened to his powerful graces of the past and how, in his wisdom, he orchestrated my life events for his purposes, my desire for control dissolved and graciously surrendered to a heart of trust. Since Yahweh has so clearly proven himself faithful again and again, how could I not trust? And worse, what if I do not take the time to look back?
Like the Psalmist, I reflect on the length and experience of life and realize that I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his children lacking provisions. This fuels me to trust, and humbly recognize in the words of the age-old hymn, “Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”