Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Psalm 37 Devotional

Freedom From Fretting

“Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.”Psalm 37:24 (BSB)

A familiar ache sits underneath this psalm: watching people do wrong and seem to get ahead. Its first word is gentle but firm. Do not fret over evildoers or envy them, because they soon dry up like grass (37:1-2). Instead, trust the LORD and do good, delight in him, commit your way to him, and be still before him (37:3-7). Fretting, the psalm warns, leads only to harm (37:8).

The reason for this calm is not that injustice does not matter. It is that God sees the end of the story. The Lord laughs at the schemes of the wicked because he knows their day is coming (37:13). Meanwhile, he orders the steps of the one he delights in, and even when that person falls, the LORD holds his hand (37:23-24). The humble will receive the land as their inheritance (37:11), a promise Jesus repeated in his own teaching (Matthew 5:5). You do not have to win every comparison or settle every score. The future belongs to the God who keeps hold of your hand.

To think about: Whose success have you been fretting over lately, and what would it look like to commit that frustration to the LORD instead?

About Psalm 37: Trusting God When the Wicked Prosper

A wisdom psalm of David urging God's people not to fret over or envy evildoers, whose success quickly fades. It calls for trust, patience, and generosity, promises that the humble will receive the land as their inheritance, and ends with the LORD rescuing those who shelter in Him.

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