Our scripture this morning is Psalms 37:1-9.
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
The Psalms speak of all our human emotions and encourage us to express our feelings in a positive way, asking God to guide us. In this passage we hear not to “worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong”. Comparing ourselves to others never works well; we either feel cheated because we don’t have what they do or we are proud because we have more.
The psalmist tells us to “trust in the Lord and do good”, a much better choice than pride or envy. We all are given the ability to choose what we do, and when those who choose wrong succeed anyway it can lead us to question our faith. The apostle Paul writes “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant”(Galatians 6:7).
Here we are taught not to let what others say or do interfere with our relationship with God. We read the good advice “Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm”. The temporary things of earth will be replaced by the eternal things we are promised when Jesus returns to take us home.
Loving Lord, help us to be more aware of our brothers and sisters and less concerned with things. May we bring Your light and love to everyone. Amen.