Elements That Cause Us to Stumble

"For the law of God is in his heart; his steps do not falter." (Psalm 37:31)

Last Sunday evening, I almost had a collision while driving. I was chasing my wife's car, and a car in front of her suddenly turned right, causing her to slam on the brakes, and I had to do the same. The distance between my car and hers was less than a meter. I also saw a large SUV behind me turning its steering wheel to the side. Despite slamming on the brakes on a wet road, I later realized that my car didn't slide much because of a special device in the car's brakes.

Our walk of faith is often like driving on a slippery road. In other words, there are many dangers of stumbling on our spiritual path. I found three reasons for this in Psalm 37.

First, the element that causes us to stumble is "envy" (jealousy).

Look at Psalm 37:1 (second half): "... do not fret because of evildoers." When we harbor jealousy or envy in our hearts, we stumble. A pastor of a small church might feel jealous of a pastor of a large church. A poor believer may envy a wealthy believer. In Psalm 73, Asaph, the psalmist, almost stumbled when he saw the prosperity of the wicked while the righteous were suffering. Therefore, we must often examine our hearts to see if envy has crept in.

Second, the element that causes us to stumble is "complaining."

Look at Psalm 37:1 (first half): "Do not fret because of evildoers..." David advises not to complain when we see the wicked prosper (v. 7). Why? Because when we complain, we lean towards evil (v. 8). Complaining in our hearts is a sign that we are living in dissatisfaction. If we as Christians are constantly complaining about our circumstances, others, or the world, we will inevitably stumble.

Third, the element that causes us to stumble is "anger."

Look at Psalm 37:8 (first half): "Refrain from anger and forsake wrath..." Why should we refrain from anger and forsake wrath? Because when we are angry, we eventually fall into evil. I believe controlling our anger is truly difficult. We live in a world where there are more and more things that make us angry. People seem to get angry more easily. This is a sign that we are losing our self-control. When there is anger in our hearts, we will inevitably stumble.

How should we overcome the elements that cause us to stumble?

In today’s passage, the Bible teaches us to "put God's law in our heart." Let’s look at Psalm 37:31: "The law of God is in their heart; their steps do not slip." When God's Word is in our hearts, we will not stumble. The reason is that, when God's Word is in our hearts, we delight in doing the will of the Lord (Psalm 40:8). So, what is the will of the Lord? It is to do what is wise and just (Psalm 37:30). Those who have God's Word in their hearts not only see the fate of evildoers from God's perspective of justice but also trust the truth that vengeance belongs to God, so they leave the evildoers in His hands. Furthermore, those who have God's Word in their hearts do not respond with envy, complaints, or anger but instead handle situations with wisdom. In other words, the wise who have God's Word in their hearts trust in God to do good (Psalm 37:3), delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), commit their ways to God (Psalm 37:5), remain silent before God and patiently wait (Psalm 37:7), and also hope in the Lord (Psalm 37:9). Therefore, those who have God's Word in their hearts will overcome the stumbling blocks of envy, complaints, and anger and walk faithfully in the Lord's path. May we all walk faithfully in the Lord's way.

Striving to put God's Word in my heart,

Pastor James

(Staying away from envy, complaints, and anger)