Psalm 37: 1-11, 39-40

Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

…

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

By nature and disposition I am not a worrier. Because of this, sometimes my wife can get frustrated with me when I don’t seem to share her concern over an issue. And while I hope I’m not a worrier for the right reasons; I also remind myself regularly to not under-function when things are out of my control. That said, I don’t believe I have ever been suspectable to over-worry. Now, I get that I made a distinction in that sentence between over-worry and what I will contrast with ‘responsible concern.’ I think part of being created in the image of God means taking responsibility, and exercising responsibility, where appropriate. I also believe that God calls us to big responsibilities and concerns: things which are impossible for us to accomplish unless God shows up and moves in power; as well, I think ‘big responsibilities’ aren’t just individual but communal. I believe the body of Christ, the Church, rightly extends her responsible concern for the least of these – orphans, widows, refugees, and other marginalized communities inside our churches and in our broader communities; also, the Church rightly commits to ministry and mission beyond herself and her own innate capacities for accomplishing evangelism by preaching the gospel all over the world, as well as pursuing justice and mercy ministries – all in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To that end, I think part of the reason why I don’t have to worry is because I am part of a community of believers who understand the communal nature of our responsible concerns. I can truly say I’ve been upheld and covered over in my own hardships (emotional, medical, and financial) because the church of Jesus lived her call to care and to love one another.

And so, precisely because of the community God has blessed me with, and because of what I believe to be true about God’s providence (Cf. Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 9&10) and his promise to care for me as a supremely valued member of his creation (Mt. 6:25-34); and because I know that “no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (Ps. 84:11), I don’t worry – at least, I hardly worry.

But that means I am susceptible to missing the point of Psalm 37, which says multiple times: “Do not fret…”

Maybe I’m the only one (though I genuinely doubt that) but it is easy to understand “fretting” as a form of worry; after all the dictionary definition of “fret” includes being overly vexed and worried. And so, I can oversimplify Psalm 37 by saying, I don’t fret because I do “Trust in the Lord and do good.” (vs. 3); I will “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (vs. 7). In fact, I really believe I have learned and developed a good differentiation and healthy boundaries around responsibilities and over-functioning (a la Brené Brown).

But fretting in Psalm 37 is not “worry” or “over-worry” – or at least, it is not reducible to either of those. The Hebrew word (harah) literally means to “glow” or “grow warm” – it is a figure of speech for not just worry or concern, but includes simmering anger, a “righteous” zeal, and a sort of creeping jealousy. Maybe a modern analogue that gets at part of it is “getting hot under the collar.” And in our world of chat rooms and forums like Reddit, social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok (and whatever else is out there right now), people are all too easily – and all too quickly – getting hot under the collar. We’ve laboured though two years of pandemic realities and restrictions – some of which some of us have whole-heartedly supported, some of which some of us have whole-heartedly rejected, many of which most of us have tried to find a creative and middling way through; and yet, families and churches have been divided about the right response and anger has simmered just below the surface of our interactions from all perspectives. Facebook friends have been muted for another 30 days and we still struggle to find a meaningful middle ground that prioritizes relationship over opinion. No matter who you are – or what side you find yourself on – you have been the target of someone’s “righteous” zeal and you have expressed your own “righteous” zeal against another.

More and more, echo chambers only resound louder and confirmation bias only gets stronger; all of this is fed by an algorithm designed to get clicks in order to sell advertising space. The “free market” of ideas is no longer free, and no longer a market of equal opportunity where the best and brightest – viz. the truest – rises to the top. Now, the louder you are the more likely you are to be heard. 

If that sounds cynical maybe you need to wonder why…

And to be sure, it is not just fretting of the intellectual or propositional type; we fret over pictures posted and lifestyle images conveyed. Whether it’s filters to clear up our skin and give you fuller lips; or mountain top landscapes to proclaim “Look at my life!” The competitive fretting of social media pits us against each other and feeds the beast of envy and jealousy.

In Psalm 37 David teaches us the only meaningful balm to a culture built on fretting. In a world where being loud gets you heard, imagine a community that trusts enough to listen (vs. 3 & 5). In a society that demands inflated affectations, imagine a community that takes delight in the affections of the Lord (vs. 4). Instead of getting hot under the collar at every disagreement, imagine a community whose hope is in the Lord (vs. 9). In a society that says salvation comes from social approval and the balance of “likes,” imagine a community that truly looks to the Lord for salvation and deliverance and not the merits of our own abilities or the affirmations of others (vs. 39-40 & Gal. 1:10).

And now, ask yourself: in your interactions – either online or in-person – are you more formed by the former or the latter? Are you more likely to fret or to trust, delight, and be still?

Finally, note this well: David, who killed lions and bears, giants and kings; David who was both a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14 & Acts 13:22) and whom God told he would die by the sword because he lived by the sword (2 Sam. 12:10); this same David, contrasts fretting – envy, jealously, anger, etc – with meekness: “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” (vs. 11)

Jesus himself takes almost this exact phrase in the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount when he says, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Mt. 5:5-6). Simply put: let me ask, in your online and in-person interactions, do you fret or are you meek? To be clear: meekness isn’t timidity, it’s humility; meekness isn’t being a pushover, it’s moving your pride out of the way. Meekness isn’t avoiding conflict, it is engaging hard conversations with twice as much compassion as passion. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle (meek, KJV) and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29)

Have hard conversations – especially where the truths of the gospel matter; but remember Psalm 37. Remember the words of Peter, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Pt. 3:15)

To be sure, I am preaching (writing?) to the mirror. Precisely because I “commit my way to the Lord” I trust in him and I know “he will do this.” (vs. 5) I want to walk away from worry and flee from fretting. Instead, let us put on “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Col. 3:12, ESV). Imagine our community if we all did that… To paraphrase Brennan Manning, “That is what an unbelieving world will find unbelievable.” Instead of unbelievable, let’s make it true.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, your meekness confused the arrogant, your gentleness confounded the legalistic; and yet you are truth, and your word is truth. Help me not to fret and make me the kind of Christ-like member of my community the world needs right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.