Don’t Fret Because of Evil People

“Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass.” Psalm 37:1-2

Don’t fret! You won’t hear these words used very often today. I remember my dear grandmother, Marie Turnage, saying those words to me as a child. Maybe my mother was leaving me to go to the store, or I had fallen down and cut my knee on the street. She was communicating, “Don’t worry my child because I am here. I love you and everything will be okay.” I was upset about something and she was trying to calm my anxious little heart. Her words and her peaceful disposition had a profound impact on me, even to this day. Isn’t it amazing how that works?

What was King David so worried about that God had to tell him, “Don’t fret?” We read that evil people were profiting from their wicked schemes and David was tempted to be envious. He was tempted to want what they had obtained (illegally, immorally and at other’s expense). We call it envy. The dictionary defines envy as, “a feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another.” God went on to say in verse seven, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him, do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries our wicked schemes.” God tells us to rest in Him, to be still in our hearts. How do we do that? Prayer! Only by giving our anxiety, envy and jealousy to God in prayer and receiving His love and strength through His word and by His Spirit, can we resist the temptation to fret. We will rest and not fret when we learn to trust God more and recognize that He is in control and He only has the best for us.

God shows us in His word that the wicked will get what is coming to them. Justice will be served. God tells the wicked, “be sure your sins will found you out,” Numbers 32:23. They will reap what they have sown. It is just a matter of time. It may appear like they will get away with the evil they have done. But God says they won’t. The score will be settled, either here on earth or in heaven. He promises. Do you believe Him? “For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” Psalm 37:8 “Thank you Jesus, and thank you Marie, for teaching me not to fret!”