Psalm 37:1-9 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 37:1-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,
Verse 2for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
Verse 3Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Verse 4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Verse 5Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
Verse 6He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Verse 7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices.
Verse 8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret-it leads only to evil.
Verse 9For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Devotion
Recently, when I was confronted with a crisis, a friend challenged me not to fear. There are 366 “fear nots” in the Bible, he said, which means there is a “fear not” for each day of the year. Even so, that didn’t change the reality of my situation.
A similar reality confronted the psalmist when he penned this text. What was going on around him was frightening. It was not just the prosperity of the wicked but the lack of their being caught that troubled the writer. Their unprecedented success made the psalmist cry out to God.
How should we react to a similar predicament today? The psalmist offers us a clue. He says trust, delight, commit and rest in the Lord. All of these are action words. So the psalmist is calling believers to an active participation in what God is doing in the world. This is what it means to delight in the law of the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, help me to focus on you and your word so that events around me do not squeeze out of me your call and blessings. Amen.