Do not fret

I was struck by the phrase "Do not fret" this morning. The word "fret" appears only 4 times in scripture and three of them are found in Psalm 37 (the fourth appearance is found in Proverbs 24:19 which is remarkably similar to Psalm 37:1). The great preacher Oswald Chambers in his classic daily devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" wrote a piece on July 4th, 2014 entitled 'One of God's Great "Don'ts"'. He said, 'It’s easy to say, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it possible to “rest in the Lord” then? If this “Do not” doesn’t work there, then it will not work anywhere.'

So what does it mean to fret? Vocabulary.com gave this definition:
"Fret comes from the Old English word freton which means to devour like an animal. When you fret over something, it consumes your thoughts." "When you fret, you worry so much about something that it eats away at you."

In Psalm 37 we are told:

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. (verses 1-2)

Here we are told not to have the two extreme reactions when we see evil in the world - to let it eat into our soul or to become envious! We are to take a proper perspective that this life is transient and there is judgement awaiting. "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

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. (verse 7)

Our worries and turmoil are like a storm raging inside. It is often not within our ability to calm ourselves. God has to come to the rescue: "He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed." (Psalm 107:29). And when Jesus comes to our rescue: 'And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.' (Mark 4:39). So we wait patiently on the one who will calm the storm.

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. (verses 8-9)

Fretting will always lead to evil - becoming angry; taking matters into our own hand. Judgement will come from the Lord, not from us. We hope in the Lord that one day God will make it right. This corrupted world will be renewed again. Jesus gave this "blessing" in his famous "Sermon on the Mount" "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5). What a radical teaching!

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  (James 1:19)