Silence for 2-5 minutes:
If your mind wanders, silently pray a simple prayer again and again, such as, "I surrender to your love" or "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me" until the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of peace and focus.
Scripture:
Psalm 37:1-5
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil 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 Take delight 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:
Reading:
In Psalm 37 we have two very stark choices put before us. We can either fret over what the wicked are doing, or we can trust and delight in the Lord. David is telling us that we absolutely cannot do both. There is not enough room in our souls or minds for fretting and delight. Who would knowingly choose fretting over delight? And yet, many do.
The Hebrew word for fretting is charah. It means to be hot, furious, and to burn with anger. The scripture once again proves itself to be timeless in its assessment of culture. Social media is populated with those who fret over enemies, real and imagined. Instead of posting messages of faith, and encouragement, dubious conspiracies on the right and left abound. Many are burning with anger at the “other.” Those on the opposing side of the political spectrum are characterized as evildoers of the worst order. It is fretting on steroids and it distracts us from a godly life.
Instead, the Lord invites us into a life focused upon Him. The life he offers reveals that in the end, the Lord will judge all wickedness and wrongdoers will die away like grass in the scorching Texas sun. Instead of obsessing on the wrong others are doing, we are invited to trust in the Lord and do good. (verse 3) Fretting can be supplanted with delight in the Lord where our heart’s desires are satisfied. (verse 4) If we commit ourselves to the Lord, we have a guarantee from God that He will faithfully keep these beautiful promises. (verse 5)
So, God puts the choice before you and me today, fretting or delight. Which will it be?
Actions:
Is your life filled with fretting over evildoers and their deeds, or delighting in the Lord and doing good? Choose delight in your Lord and acts of charity today.
Prayer:
Lord, it is easy to get caught up in the burning anger of today. Fretting can easily replace faith, hope and love. Today, I make you my sole focus. I delight in you and you delight in me. Now my heart is truly satisfied! Amen.