Psalm 112 - "It Is Well"

The Lord took me to Psalm 112 today.  These verses contrast the righteous man and the wicked man.  When I think of the word "wicked" I think of someone/something that has no love in them.  The "wicked" have no hope.  The "wicked" have no contentment.  How can we be righteous and not wicked?  

• By seeking the Lord and being obedient to His ways as in verse one
• By mirroring the Lord by being "…gracious and compassionate and righteous" as in verse four
• By being compassionate as in verse five
• By standing on our faith in the Lord instead of giving into fears of the world as in verses six through eight

The desire of my heart is to never go back to being "wicked" but instead to continually seek Him with my whole heart so that I may live a righteous life.  Verse five encourages me to continue on this path.  I think of the hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul" as I read this Psalm.  The first verse goes:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You, thank You, thank You for the encouragement of Psalm 112.  Thank You for blessing me in abundance!  Thank You for giving me the opportunity to say, "It is well with my soul."  Woo hoo!  You are so awesome!   Thank You for being The One I Praise!  Amen.

Psalm 112

1 Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
    who find great delight in his commands.

2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
    they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
    their righteousness endures forever;
    their horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.