DON’T FRET!

DON’T FRET!

Ps 37:1-8

1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

          Three times in this portion, the word fret appears. We seldom use it in daily language although most of us might know it’s general meaning. Merriam – Webster says that it means “to wear away; corrode; to chafe.” The Old Testament Hebrew is the word charah and it means “to grow warm; to blaze up.” Generally, we understand it to mean frustration. David offers five ways to combat fretting.

          Trust! A fretting heart is not a trusting heart! We fret when our circumstances are not to our liking. We have stopped trusting that God is in control of them. We want to fix things and make them better because God either won’t or can’t. When we do this we insult His character and malign his ability. I think this might be sin.

          Delight! The word translated “delight” means to be soft and pliable but also “to be pampered.” If we seek to be intimately acquainted with the Lord, He responds by giving us the desires of our heart. I find it interesting that God often gives me what I long for even if I haven’t actually prayed for it. Because I draw near to God in fellowship and worship, He listens in on my deepest desires and grants those that are best for me.

            Commit! My way is no longer my way but His way. I have given my path and direction over to One who actually knows the way. The original verb means “to roll” or to “roll off your burden onto the Lord.” We are reminded of 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

          Rest! This rest is not the rest of a completed task. It means “to be silent; to stop struggling.” Oh, how we need to learn this discipline. If God is driving, we need to take our hands off the wheel.

                Cease! Slack off! Abandon anger and wrath. Stop trying to avenge yourself and to repair every wrong in the world. Stop losing your temper! Often it only makes things much worse and can have irreversible consequences. Let God handle those you feel need to be corrected or punished. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Rom 12:19

Job 22:21

21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Dear Lord, help me to trust you today so that I can cease fretting and be at peace. AMEN