Do Not Fret - Saturday July 25, 2015
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. Psalm 37:8
I've been listening to Andrew Peterson's recent album After All These Years lately, and one line that resonates with me is "Life is not long but it's hard." The Lord knows this reality, and He tells us how not to respond to evil and hardship in the verse above. "Fret not yourself" is another translation of the Hebrew verb harƒ, which means "to burn" or "to be kindled." Anger and fretting make our hearts smolder. It is so easy to "kindle ourselves" in anger against those who sin against us and against God.
In English the root for the word "fret" goes back to the Old English fretan, meaning "to devour." Synonyms include gnaw, corrode, fray, rub sore, chafe, wear away, vex, worry, grate, agitate-you get the idea? Whether by burning or by devouring, fretting destroys us.
When we are in a situation that leaves us feeling wronged, helpless against "evildoers" (Psalm 37:1), what should we do? If we fret, we injure ourselves, not them.
God tells us to change our focus from the problem to Him. "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of. . . the man who carries out wicked schemes" (Psalm 37:7). A dear friend of mine, grieving in a situation of loss, wrote me: "I have been going to the Lord, asking just to 'lean against His breast,' like John did at the Last Supper. I'm so weak, I just need to keep close to Him, and lean against Him." Yes. Give your situation to Him: "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it" (37:5). Don't fret yourself; pray and trust Him to act.
Submitted by:
Dotty Vanderhorst
Cornerstone Community Church
Overland Park, Kansas
One-Year Reading Plan:
2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14
Romans 9:1-24
Psalms 19:1-14
Proverbs 20:1
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