1Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret–it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land (Psalm 37:1-11 NIV)
Do not fret because of… how I needed to read those words.
I have allowed myself to be anxious over so many things… my job, my wish to retire, my realization that I don’t have enough years or money in my retirement account, my desire to find a publisher for my book, my need for more time for my many projects… which takes me back to the beginning of this list of things to fret over.
When I remember that my times are in God’s hands, and that He is perfectly capable of watching over me and supplying all my needs, I feel ashamed to have to admit all the things that I let myself fret over.
I especially like verse 4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. When I read this verse it reminds me of the reason why I may still be fretting. I am not keeping my eyes on him, I am putting them on my fretting. I hope that this blog will help me to do a better job of keeping my eyes on him. I hope it will help me to feel more accountable to spend more time in his word.
Verses 5 and 6 seem to affirm this revelation: Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Lord Jesus, help me to focus on you and to let you direct my paths. Help me to turn over my anxious thoughts so I can be more productive in my day to day life.
Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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