Psalm Thirty-Seven: Five Actions

Psalm 37

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

 

But the meek will inherit the land

    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

The wicked plot against the righteous

    and gnash their teeth at them;

but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

    for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword

    and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

    to slay those whose ways are upright.

 

But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

    and their bows will be broken.

Better the little that the righteous have

    than the wealth of many wicked;

 

for the power of the wicked will be broken,

    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

    and their inheritance will endure forever.

 

In times of disaster they will not wither;

    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

But the wicked will perish:

    Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

The wicked borrow and do not repay,

    but the righteous give generously;

 

those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

    but those he curses will be destroyed.

The Lord makes firm the steps

    of the one who delights in him;

 

though he may stumble, he will not fall,

    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

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.

Turn from evil and do good;

    then you will dwell in the land forever.

 

For the Lord loves the just

    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

    the offspring of the wicked will perish.

 

The righteous will inherit the land

    and dwell in it forever.

The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

    and their tongues speak what is just.

 

The law of their God is in their hearts;

    their feet do not slip.

The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

    intent on putting them to death;

 

but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked

    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

Hope in the Lord

    and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

 

but he soon passed away and was no more;

    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

    a future awaits those who seek peace.

 

But all sinners will be destroyed;

    there will be no future[e] for the wicked.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

 

The Lord helps them and delivers them;

    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

    because they take refuge in him.

-

Often, when we read the Psalms, we can see David calling for some action! I love that, because if I am honest, I am a doer. I want to do something! I want action steps! Well, this Psalm gives them to me. 

1. David says, "Do not fret". In other words, don't be afraid. Don't stay up all night stressed and worried. Don't allow anxiety to take root in your heart. David says that the things that we worry about are going to pass away, so don't allow them to rob you of life!

2. David says, "Trust". Today, what are you trusting in? Are you trusting in yourself? Are you trusting in your paycheck? Are you trusting in your friends? Our trust has to be rooted in Christ. Think of roots, what do they do? They anchor the plant and supply nutrients. Allow Jesus to be your roots today! Allow him to be your anchor and your supply of nutrients for your soul!

3. David says, "Commit". Commit your way to the Lord. Commit your future to the Lord. Commit your school to the Lord. Commit your unsaved family and friends to the Lord. This means that you continue to pray into those situations and for those people, but you trust that they are in God's care and he will do whatever needs to be done to see fruit in those situations. 

4. David says, "Be still and wait patiently". Wow! Today, with Covid-19, we are forced into a time of stillness. Make the most of it today. Don't be still with Netflix, video games, and Zoom. Be still with God. Enjoy time in his presence today!

5. Finally, David says, "Refrain". Refrain from evil and from fretting. Refrain means to abstain, stop, renounce, and halt, and avoid. Are there things in your life that you have allowed to take root in your life that you are realizing aren't bringing life? Ask God to help you refrain from those things that aren't bringing life! Proverbs says, "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion" (Proverbs 28:13, NIV). 

Today, will you join me in Not fretting, trusting, committing, being still, and refraining?