¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; ² for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. ³ Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: ⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. ⁷ 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.
Psalm 37:1-7
 
We started working on the yard a couple of months ago and it became apparent that a pick ax was not going to be sufficient for tilling the ground before we xeriscaped.  We borrowed my mom’s cultivator and my buddy and I got it running.  It’s a small piece of equipment and we have a big yard but I had high hopes.  The cultivator roared to life and then kept roaring.  It started reving faster and faster and then all of a sudden it stopped.  It didn’t do anything after that.  I don’t know the final diagnosis, but that day was a powerful example of what happens when I overheat.
 
Psalm 37 is an acrostic poem.  Each stanza begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.  That, in itself, is pretty awesome, but David has more to say than just “how do I use the letter ב?”  There are four positive instructions (do this) in verses 1-7 and David gives one negative instruction in verse 1.  “Do not fret.” 
 
Negative, to me, means “I did something wrong again.”  That’s another subject for another article (or five), but negative here means “stay away from this, it won’t help you.”  A renovation of my heart means I’m going to have to listen and let God work in my life. 
 
The word translated “fret” means “to burn, to get heated up.”  And when I overheat, I stop working.  I freeze.  I miss out on the Promises of God.  I focus on my circumstances and I don’t see the forest for the trees.
 
“Do not fret.”  I know I’m not supposed to fret and worry, but how do I stop that?  How do I change my outlook, my perspective, when my default is to fret?  The next instructions provide the answer.
 
“Trust in the Lord and do good…  Take delight in the Lord…  Commit your way to the Lord… and rest in the Lord.”
 
There will be days when I start to overheat.  And when those days come, I will rest in the Lord.  There will be days when I’m not sure what the next step should be.  And in those days, I will commit my way to the Lord.  My peace and fulfillment?  It comes from the Lord when I delight in Him.  And I will trust in the Lord because I can speak of His faithfulness.  When we being to overheat from the pressures of the world, may we remember to cool ourselves in the shadow of His Wings.
 
Can’t wait to worship with you this weekend!
We are Central… and we’re in this TOGETHER! 
SOLI DEO GLORIA
-F