Do you ever feel like you just can't seem to get ahead? You do everything right, and still there is little to no progress. Then you see "Joe". He lives in the house that you want. He drives the car that you want. Joe appears to have it all. You want to be like Joe. Never mind that he cheats on his wife, his taxes and at cards. He continues to prosper. Or so it seems.
A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Psalm 37: 1-7
In this Psalm, David gives a list of instructions.
- Do not fret because of evil doers verse 1
- Do not become envious of workers of iniquity verse 1
- Trust in the Lord verse 3
- Delight in the Lord verse 4
- Commit your way unto the Lord verse 5-6
- Rest in the Lord verse 7
He begins by telling us what not to do.
To "fret" means to be burned up. the allusion is to be consumed with emotions or passion. We are being instructed to not get worked up and frustrated by the evil that we see. In other don't lose hope. Ultimately, they are going to be judged.
Keeping Up With The Jones's
He goes on to say that we should not become envious. Here the word "envious" means to make zealous; to be jealous or envious (in a bad sense); to be strongly competitive.
It is when we become so moved with jealousy and envy that we are now trying to either emulate or surpass them. It is like saying "everyone else is doing it, I might as well too". In other words, we now have plans on how to do evil and to carry out iniquity.
The Remedy
It begins by trusting the Lord. Twice we are told to place our trust in Him. In the first instance we are told to trust and to do good. We are to do what is pleasing to Him. The second occasion, we are told to trust and He will make it happen. In other words, we are to put the work in and leave the results to Him.
It ends with resting in Him. The word "rest" has several meanings. Here are some of them:
• to be dumb (mute);
• to be astonished;
• to stop;
• to fail or to perish;
• to cease;
• to be still
• peace
Contextually here is what seems to be the understanding. We have nothing to add to what God has already said about the situation. It means that we are to abandon trying to do it our way.
Notice we are told to do good and to commit our way to Him. So there is activity on our part. Resting in Him doesn't mean to kick back with our feet up. We have to trust His process.
There have been so many times, that I have walked away from His way. It cost me time and tears. His way is the best way.