Psalms 37:1-2 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
There is a difference between being fearful and fretful. Being fretful happens when a person becomes angry. The passage teaches us to avoid becoming angry toward God when we watch evil prosper. Sometimes it is hard to live our lives for the Lord and make sacrifices, all while watching lost people live like the devil and get everything they want. Sometimes it looks like God is blessing the wicked and placing burdens on His own children. This perspective can cause the believer to murmur against the providence of God. God reminds us to avoid fretting over these issues.
As believers, we have to maintain a heavenly perspective. We have to remember we are not living for this world but the world that is to come. We have to keep our eyes on the Lord and not on our circumstances. The material possessions, the worldly gain, and social achievements of those that live wicked and worldly lives are very short lived. It may be good to keep in mind that Satan does a very good job of using these things to keep wicked people comfortable. It is very difficult for an uncomfortable person to need anything from the Lord. Also, keep in mind that the Lord keeps us in tribulation to help us realize our need for Him.
During these moments of fretfulness we need to apply three key disciplines:
- We need to Depend upon the Lord: We are told to trust the Lord and lean not on our own understanding. Our dependance upon the Lord is key to maintaining peace. The difficulty we encounter in this life propels us to a state of dependance upon the Lord. We have to keep trusting God even when things do not make sense.
- We need to Delight in the Lord: Much of the time our desires do not match our delight. Maybe the reason the Lord cannot give us the desires of our heart is because our heart is is not delighting in the Lord. Much of the time our delight and our desires are not in line with the Lord’s will.
- We need Devotion to the Lord: The passage calls us to a place of commitment. We have to commit ourselves to the Lord. We have to mentally, spiritually, and emotionally determine that we are going to commit to God no matter what we have or do not have.
These disciplines help us come to a place of rest. It replaces murmuring with silence in the Lord. It allows us to come to a place of where we are able to be still and know that the Lord is in control.