“Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against the workers of iniquity—for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.”
Psalm 37:1-2
If Christ is on His Throne—and He is—and He lives within our hearts, we should always remember “Whose we are, Whom we serve and rest in what He has said” (Acts 27:23, 25, 34).
“Fret not.”
That’s how David began today’s Manna as he composed this “Song of the Soul” whose theme is simply to “rest in the Lord and wait patiently upon Him” (v.7a).
The Hebrew word “charah” is used here for “fret” and basically means “to glow or grow warm, to blaze up, to be incense, filled with wrath, etc.” Interestingly, our English word comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon and means “a pained smile on one’s face, to eat away, gnaw, chafe, gall, vex, be agitated, wear away, etc.”
Thus, the combined picture of the two is self-evident:
It’s the picture of one with a look of exasperation or excruciating pain on his face. And, such a woeful look springs from what’s going on within: Heartburn, acid indigestion, anxiety, fearfulness, etc.
And, dear Pilgrim, there’s a lot going on around us these days to cause such “fretting,” isn’t there?
Assuredly there is.
Yet, the God that David described in this beautiful Psalm is still the same today. Even though evildoers may seemingly have the upper-hand these days, we should not despair or throw in the towel; instead, like Asaph in his powerful “Psalm of Perplexity” (Ps. 73), we should get alone with God. . .pour out our pain and perplexity to Him. . .and allow Him to give us a new perspective on everything (vv.16-20). This will cause us to realize how foolish we’ve been and how merciful He has been (vv.21-24), which should then lead us to erupt in praise and thanksgiving (vv.25-28).
David’s approach was more direct—admonishing us to “not fret or be envious of evildoers and workers of iniquity.” Why is that? Simply because their time is short-lived. Likewise, in vv.3-8 he gives us a pro-active “To Do” list of responses to fretting and fuming. And, he reminds us of “the meek’s inheritance” (v.11) and how our “steps are ordered by the Lord” (v.23) as He takes care of His own (v.25).
Fretting should only be found in the hearts and minds of abandoned, homeless orphans—not within those who are adopted and pardoned children of the King of kings. He knows what we need when we need it and has promised to give it just at the right moment (Ps. 23:1; Phil. 4:19). Therefore, spend some time today committing vv.3-8, 39-40 to heart and soon you’ll find you’re heeding v.1 as well. Remember: The same God Who saw you being “knitted in secret in your mother’s womb” (Ps. 139:15-16) is the same One Who knows everything that’s going on in the world today. “Trust Him” (v.3a); then “rest in Him” (v.7a) as you watch Him work.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated August 14, 2010
