As I was reading Psalm 37 these verses caught my eye.
- Psalm 37:1 – 7 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. - Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
- Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
- Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
- do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
We all talk about worry, but I think the old fashioned word fret carries a much weightier meaning.
These are some of the meanings from Webster’s 1812 Dictionary:
- To rub; to wear away a substance by friction; as, to fret cloth; to fret a piece of gold or other metal.
- Corrode; to gnaw; to eat away; as, a worm frets the planks of a ship.
- To impair; to wear away.
- Agitate violently.
- To agitate; disturb; to make rough; cause to ripple; as, to fret the surface of water.
- Tease; to irritate; vex; to make angry.
None of these are very pleasant options, yet I turn to them often. As I read these familiar verses, I noticed that this section of Scripture begins and ends with the Lord admonishing us to “fret not.” In the middle, He tells us what to do instead. So, my fret not sandwich looks something like this:
Fret not because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong -1st piece of bread
The filling is composed of equal parts of:
- Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture
- Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Commit your way to the Lord;
- Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
With the second slice of bread being: Fret not when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
In these troubling times there certainly is enough to fret about.
Just in my small circle of friends and family
- there is cancer,
- unemployment,
- family issues,
- wayward children,
- unsaved loved ones,
- and myriad other struggles.
So, join me in a fret not sandwich, and bring your struggles to the Lord by trusting in Him, delighting in Him, committing your way to Him, being still before Him, and waiting for Him, while you fret not.
Finding Joy in the Journey,
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