Do Not Fret

Three times in the first eight verses of Psalms 37 David writes, "Do not fret."
Why? What is it about fret that is so destructive?

Verse 8 gives us the answer:

"...it leads only to evil." (Ps 37:8)

Have you ever experienced a time when fretting over a situation resulted only in evil? Maybe a better question to ask is if there has ever been a situation that changed for the better as a result of fret! Probably not. Fretting can't change anything about our situation. It only puts us in a very negative, anti-faith frame of mind that, if camped out in too long, "leads only to evil."

So how do we not fret?
Psalms 37 gives us four responses to combat fret when facing difficult situations.

1. Trust in the Lord and do good (v. 3)
This is deciding ahead of time our course of action no matter what the situation looks like. There will be many things about our situation that we have no control of, but we do have the ability to trust in the Lord and to do good. That is always a decision we can make regardless of what's happening around us.

2. Take delight in the Lord...(v.4)
Amazing things happen when we shift the focus from what we don't have and what we think we need to what we do have and who the Lord is! Make Jesus your delight. Begin to thank Him for all He has done and who He is in your life. Worship Him and let His goodness reframe your struggles.

3. Commit your way to the Lord...(v.5)
Continually commit yourself to doing life God's way, according to His Word. Give your "way" to Him and let Him be your direction. None of us can predict what will happen tomorrow or next week or next year. We don't know the future, but we do know the One who holds the future. Have you committed your way--your decisions, ambitions, attitudes, direction--to the Lord?

4. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...(v.7)
Finally, be still. Wait patiently. This is not passively refusing to take action nor ignoring the reality of your problem. It is persistent patience, diligent stillness to hear the voice of God and to take each step as He reveals it.

Whatever your facing, make a decision today to trust in the Lord and do good, delight in Jesus, commit your way to Him, and be still, waiting patiently for Him.

And do not fret.