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.
Psalm 37:1-4
Do you spend a lot of time and energy worrying about what others are doing? For all the good it does to worry about the activities of others, you might as well worry if the rain will fall or if the grass will grow, or a thousand different things. Only God can change the hearts and minds of people and since He has made us free moral agents. He will only do that if they want to change.
Since we can’t do anything about the attitudes and actions of sinful men and women; we need to do what the Psalmist encouraged us to do: “Trust in the Lord.” When we trust in the Lord, we are able to put the lawless and infidel in the hands of God to do with them as He will.
We are not to fret about the activities of evildoers, neither are we to copy their sinful ways but we are to “do good, dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”
A Note of Caution
Verse 4 has long been a favorite of mine. It tells me how I can receive the blessing of the Lord. I have used it as a text for sermons. It speaks to my heart and mind. It tells me that if I will come into the presence of God because I love to be there and will rejoice because we are having fellowship together that He will give me the desires of my heart, whatever that might be.
A note of caution is needed here; when we delight ourselves in the Lord, we will desire what is good and righteous and not the material things of life; such as a luxury cars, homes or airplanes, etc. That is covetousness and God does not bless that, ever. James made that clear when he wrote: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” However, if we want what God wants for us we shall have it; just don’t fret about it. In my words, “Worry ain’t worth it.” Amen!
