Don't Fret--Delight

A friend sent me Psalm 37:4 this morning.  As Christians we tend to really appreciate this verse.  I wonder how many of us think of the context?

Psalm 37 begins with the words, "Fret not yourself over evildoers."  The first eleven verses of the psalm contain five commands not to worry about evildoers.  Don't fret, don't envy them, refrain from anger.  These words urge us to be calm in the midst of evil.

The world is full of evil.  Wars, oppression, immorality, wicked governments, lukewarm Christians.  Evil is all around us.

Through it all this Psalm encourages us to focus on the Lord.  Verse 3, "Trust in the Lord...," verse 4, "Delight yourself in the Lord...," verse 5, "Commit your way to the Lord...," verse 7, "Be still before the Lord...."  

Then there are the promises.  Verse 6, "He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday."  Verse 9, "For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land." Verse 10-11 "In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.  But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace."

Evil is all around us.  We can easily begin to fret.  But think of these precious words and don't fret--delight!