Don’t get upset over evildoers;
don’t be jealous of those who do wrong,
because they will fade fast, like grass;
they will wither like green vegetables.
Trust the Lord and do good;
live in the land, and farm faithfulness.
Enjoy the Lord,
and he will give what your heart asks.
Commit your way to the Lord!
Trust him! He will act
and will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like high noon.
Be still before the Lord,
and wait for him.
Don’t get upset when someone gets ahead—
someone who invents evil schemes.
Reflection
Really? God will give whatever my heart asks? Because I think I could ask a lot…
Somehow I don’t think that’s what this passage means.
All of Psalm 37 is a warning – don’t be jealous of people who will anything to get ahead. Don’t be like them. You do you and trust God to take care of the rest.
Now “you do you” doesn’t sound very biblical. But neither does “farm faithfulness.” And yet, here it is! It’s an amazing image of patient trust in God through every circumstance. The farmer can’t “make” anything happen, when it comes right down to it. All the farmer can do is be faithful, follow the plan, and trust God to care for the rest.
This week, you may come up against a situation where you are tempted to step off the path in order to resolve a problem. Don’t. Instead, trust!
For Pondering & Prayer
What situation or challenge do you need to commit to the Lord today?
Are there people whose success you envy? Have you ever paused to wonder whether what you can see tells the whole story of their lives?
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