“Do
not fret...” “Do not fret...” “Do not fret...” Three
times the writer of Psalm 37 (mostly like King David) implores us to
calm down and let go of our worry and upset. The Hebrew
word he uses is charah,
and in the form used in the psalm, it literally means to heat oneself
up in vexation, to kindle a fire of distress deep within. Indeed,
when we fret, we kindle a flame in our minds that easily burns out of
control and, if we're not careful, could consume us and make our
lives miserable.
But
how do we stop fretting? When we look at the world around us, we see
evil everywhere...violence, hatred, horrors. Sorrows and sufferings
invade our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We never know what
tomorrow will bring. We don't even know what the next minute will
bring. All
of these things frighten us, shake us, and
make us aware of our fragility, and so we fret.
But
David gives us some excellent reasons to put aside our fretting. God
is in control. He knows exactly what is going on in the world and in
each of us. He knows what is
best, and He will solve each and every problem in His own time. The
wicked will experience the consequences of their evil. The
righteous, even though they may suffer long, will be vindicated in
the end and live
forever in the land of the Lord.
In
the meantime, God gives us strength to cope day by day with whatever
we must face. He makes our steps firm as we walk His path. He
delights in our smallest efforts to reach out to Him. He picks us up
when we fall. He holds us by the hand and guides us at
every moment. He will never, ever forsake us, never abandon us. He
will rescue us from our trials and save us in His love.
What
then must we do? David
gives us five
specific ways to douse the fire of our agitations
and
worries:
*“Trust
in the Lord, and do good”
*“Take
delight in the Lord”
*“Commit
your way to the Lord; trust in Him”
*“Be
still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him”
*“Wait
for the Lord, and keep to His way”
We
should all post these five instructions in visible places throughout
our homes and turn to them whenever we feel
ourselves beginning to fret.
Finally,
David assures us once more of
God's
protection and love: “The salvation of the righteous is from the
Lord; He is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them
and rescues them; He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in Him.”
If
God is truly our refuge, our protector, and our savior, then why
should we ever feel the need to fret?
(The Hebrew definition comes from
Biblehub.com.)
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