Day 419: Keep calm, or be still? – Psalm 37 vs 1 -11
1-2 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3-6 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7-8 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil. 9-10 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. Psalm 37:1-11 New International Version
Many things in life can cause us to be worried, depressed, or even to fume. One of them is when people who do so much harm in the world seem to prosper. Justice never appears to catch up with them. This Psalm was well aware of such a situation, but says: “Don’t fret because of the wicked or envy those who do wrong.” Why? “Because, like grass, they will soon fade away.” The Psalm writer was convinced that those who cause such hurt and harm will not last forever! Their days are numbered because their lifestyles are as shallow as withering grass or fading plants. Yes, many of them may be rich and/or famous, but their lifestyle and destiny is nothing to envy. What's the better option in vs 3-6 than fretting over wicked people?
He urges us to trust and take delight in God, and commit ourselves and our life to Him. In other words, we should seek our joy and happiness in God, not the things people rush after. His promise is that when we make Him our true treasure He will give us what is best for us. This doesn't mean great wealth or fame (although He can give those if He chooses) but it will mean a peace and joy that He alone can give to our hearts, and wisdom to make good decisions throughout our lives. This is surely what Jesus promised His followers when He said: “I am leaving you with a gift , peace of mind and heart! The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give, so don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14 verse 27)
Verse 6 also said that God will 'vindicate' those who didn’t turn aside out of envy or fear, but clung to righteousness. They may be mocked in this world, but the day will come when all will see that God calls them His own. But the writer knows it’s not always easy and the road can look long, so he adds in vs 7: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret when people succeed in their ways.” The prophet Isaiah spoke of this when he said: “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.” (Isaiah 32:17) Fretting and anger only make us agitated and rob us of peace. There's a slogan in the UK which says 'keep calm and carry on' – the Psalm writer puts it better: “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”
The man who wrote this Psalm wasn't some young dynamic motivational speaker still a bit wet behind the ears! Later in the Psalm he says: “I was young and now I am old . . . yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely, their children will be a blessing.” He was someone who had travelled life’s journey for many years and had a fuller picture of things. His testimony was that over the years he had seen God’s faithfulness and care.
When difficult times we go through are made harder by seeing how ungodly people seem to be doing just fine, don’t let it bring you down. God is there and He cares. Press on and He Himself will be your reward. God willing, we will look at some more of this Psalm next week. Meanwhile, don't fret, be still before the Lord and commit your ways to Him. I wonder if Jesus had vs 11 of this Psalm in mind when He said: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) It’s not power that wins the day, but God’s grace.