Psalm 37:1-8 Fret Not

One of the struggles which we all have to deal with is the struggle of anxiety. We all like to be in control, but we know on some level that we are incapable of working things out the way we want them. So, we worry.

Worrying is so common, even among followers of God, that the Bible is filled with commands not to do it, no matter what the circumstances. When we worry about the future, Jesus commands us:  “do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). When we worry about our conversations, Jesus commands us: “do not worry about what to say or how to say it” (Matthew 10:19). When we worry about anything else, Paul concludes: “do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6). Why? Because, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25).

So what is the solution? Fortunately, the Bible teaches us that as well: trust in God. “Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God… will come and save you’” (Isaiah 35:4). “Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22). Why can we trust in God? Peter tells us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). We can trust in God because He loves us. He has demonstrated how much He cares for us by sending His Son to take our place on the cross. If He has taken care of our massive sin debt, surely He can take care of whatever is causing us to worry today.

While this solution to the problem of worry is found throughout the Bible, one of the best passages on worry is rarely taught. It is found in Psalm 37.

Please read Psalm 37:1-8.

Three times in this passage, we read the phrase “fret not yourself” (vv. 1, 7, 8). Why does David need to say this over and over? Because someone is constantly tempted to fret! When someone is in the desert, you don’t need to tell them, “be careful not to drown!” You say that when they are going swimming. David wouldn’t need to keep repeating “fret not yourself,” unless he was talking to someone (maybe even his own soul), who was regularly tempted to fret.

Between telling us not to fret, David gives us the solution to worrying: look to the Lord. In these eight verses, he gives us four commands, which all conclude: “in the Lord.” Rather than keeping our eyes on our problems and giving in to worry, we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and overcome worry by following these four commands.

First, we are told to “Trust in the Lord,” in verse 3. This is easy to say, but how do we demonstrate genuine trust in the Lord? We “do good;” we obey that which God has called us to obey. This is perhaps best proclaimed in the old hymn: “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.” We can overcome worry by trusting in the Lord and following His will.

Second, you can overcome worry when you “delight yourself in the Lord” (v. 4). This command comes with a promise: “and He will give you the desires of your heart.” One of the beautiful things about God is: the more we get to know Him, the more we love Him; the more we love Him, the more of Him we want; and the more we want Him, the more of Himself He is willing to reveal to us. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us more of Himself. We then become so focused on God that we have no need to worry.

Third, David says “Commit your way to the Lord” (v. 5). This is very similar to the first command, but it implies more than a momentary trust; it implies an eternal commitment. Such commitment is required of every Christian. We cannot trust in God when times are easy, but abandon Him when times get hard. We need to trust in Him in the darkest of days, and believe that “He will act.” When we are truly committed to the Lord, then there is no need to worry.

While the first three commands are action oriented, David’s final command to overcome worry is passive: “Be still before the Lord” (v. 7). If we truly want to be free from worry, then we need to take our eyes off of the evil around us and focus on God. We need to stop trying to fix every problem, and simply wait on God. Even when things seem to get worse, we need to be still; wait; and trust that God will act. It may not be as soon as we want, but He will always act in His time.

When we trust in God, delight ourselves in God, commit ourselves to God, and patiently wait on God, we will find that there is no need to worry. God is our focus, and there is no need to fret.