David Called For Trust Despite Evil Men

Psalms 37:1–8
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)

David wrote this psalm in his old age (Psa. 37:25) and reflects upon his years of experience. The major point of this Psalm seems to be that the wicked’s prosperity is short lived. He deals with an age old question of “Why do the wicked prosper, when the righteous are afflicted?” David was troubled by the prosperity of those who were unrighteous but he knew that God will intervene in His time and their undeserved bounty will be cut off. This Psalm also contains as simple formula for achieving peace of mind in the face of the wicked’s prosperity. It covers the lessons we need to learn:

1. Fret not thyself because of evildoers for they shall soon be cut down as the grass (vv. 1-2). The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the hypocrite for a moment (Job 20:5).
2. Trust in the Lord and do good (v. 3). The cure for fretting is faith. True faith always produces good works. Regardless of the circumstances around us, we must always trust the Lord.
3. Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart (v. 4). If we make the Lord the object of our affection, our meditation and our activity we will find ourselves rejoicing in Him.
4. Commit thy way unto the Lord and He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light (vv. 5-6). As long as we look at our problems, we will become increasingly depressed, but if we look at the Lord we shall rise above our circumstances. There is no better medicine to dispel envy and fretting than casting ourselves unreservedly upon the Lord and yielding ourselves wholly to Him.
5. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him (vv. 7-8). This means that we are to synchronize our life with His timetable. We must recognize that God is fully in control of the situation and simply wait for Him to work it out for our good and His glory.

Application

How do I rate myself?

____ 1. Fret a lot         ____ 2. Fret some       3. ____ Don’t fret at all