Psalm 37:1 Do Not Fret

I remember the first time I heard these verses. I was very upset with someone, and the thought of what the Bible says throughout this chapter gave me comfort. But my heart was not in the right place, because my comfort came from the parts that seemed to assure me the "evildoer" would eventually "get theirs".

Now, as a (hopefully) more mature Christian, I see Psalm 37 in a different way. And it still brings me comfort, just a different kind.

All forty verses of Psalm 37 are reassuring. What we learn is although it may seem like the ungodly are flourishing, it is a very superficial and short lived type of flourishing. Verse two tells us that "like the grass, they soon fade away, like spring flowers, they soon wither."

Verse 33 says "the Lord will not let the wicked succeed."

Verse 34 tells us we "will see the wicked destroyed."

Verse 38 says "the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future."

So often, we watch the rich and famous live ungodly lives. Although they seem to prosper in the beginning, their lives are soon wrecked with divorce, broken relationships, drugs, alcohol, and children who grow up to write books about the abuse they suffered at the hands of these same people.

We've watched the rich and mighty fall from their lofty places when their secret lives are reveled. We've watched them go from well respected to disgrace.

And in our own lives, most of us can think of neighbors or family members who have chosen the broad, ungodly path, and we see where it ends up for them. It may take a few years or even a lifetime, but as Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7-8 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

As Psalm 37 tells us what will happen to the ungodly, it then adds the blessings of the godly. Verse 3 tells us that if we trust in the Lord and do good, we will "live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires."

Verse 5 says if we will trust him, he will help us.

Verse 17-19 tells us that the Lord takes care of the godly and innocent, and that even in famine, we will have enough.

A favorite Bible passage of mine is verses 23-24: "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."

These verses do not say the good man will never fall, just that the Lord will not let him be utterly cast down; he will uphold him with his hand.

When bad times come, a person who trusts in God has a security that the ungodly do not have. Although they may cry, although they may hurt, faith in the Lord tells them that whatever happens will be what the Lord wants to happen. We are told in Jeremiah 29:10-12 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Psalm 139:16 says that "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

I believe that sin can mess up those plans God made for us, but if we are faithful and trust in the Lord, then we never need to "fret", because God's plans for our lives will unfold just as he intended for them too.

And it isn't our place to worry about whether the ungodly will be punished. Hebrews 10:30-31 says "The Lord will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

I'll end with a verse that should put an end to any "fretting" we have:

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."