No fretting
"Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb."
(Psalms 37:1-2)
November 3, 2024
Dear friends,
No matter who wins the election this week, at least half of the country will be pretty upset. Apparently, democracy is on the line, being threatened on one side by fascism (according to one party), and on the other side by Marxism (according to the other party). Many of us are disappointed that the two main candidates are supposedly the best choices available. As Christians we have legitimate concerns about our society, where things seem awry: lack of character in leadership, bias in news media, ungodliness in entertainment, the dismal quality of education, problems in the economy, the national debt, the breakdown of families, immigration problems, the rise of crime, and so on.
PSALM 37 is a good chapter to read at times like these. In this psalm we learn how to respond when society seems dominated by wickedness, when those in power oppose biblical principles and virtue. The psalm opens with "Fret not..." (root: חָרָה charah), which means here to "heat oneself in vexation; fly into a passion." (This verb appears in 37:1, 7, 8.) "Fretting" is closely related both to anger and to envy -- it's a kind of smoldering agitation mixed with envy. It deeply vexes us (another synonym) when we see ungodly people being blessed with power, prestige, and prosperity. King David wrote this psalm when he saw that wickedness was advancing in the land of his day, especially among affluent and powerful people.
STOP FRETTING. When I was a child and became upset when things did not go the way I was expecting -- what I thought was the right way -- my parents would say, "Stop fretting about it!" I didn't really know exactly what "fretting" meant, but I knew they were talking about that mix of irritation, anxiety, and discontent that I was feeling. It was their way of saying, "Stop getting so worked up about this." The Lord still rules this universe, and Psalm 37 is chock full of good things to think about and will help take the edge off your fretfulness during this election. So, over the next couple of days read through Psalm 37 and make notes under three headings...
A) What does this psalm say about the wicked?
B) What are the righteous (God's people) told to do?
C) What promises does God give in this psalm?
RECENT READING.
-- I'm currently rereading That Hideous Strength, by C. S. Lewis. I think the dystopian future that the postmodern west is approaching is not that which is envisioned by Orwell, Huxley, or Atwood, but rather by C. S. Lewis in this book, written in 1945. It's very, very relevant!
-- "Autonomy is our futile effort to make ourselves lords when there is already a cosmic King." (Pierce Taylor Hibbs) Read “Death by Autonomy: The Most Ancient Evil”
-- America has its problems, but we should also be praying for believers in China. (Open Doors)
-- Finally, here's a glimpse of the future peace of Jerusalem.
FINAL QUOTE.
"…what all Christians discover: that relating to ultimate spiritual reality turns out to be less about being affirmed in one’s self-chosen identity, and more about submission, surrender, obedience, and change. Heaven proves in the end less like a democracy and more like a monarchy: and conversion turns out to be less like a triumph and more like a defeat." (Gavin Ortlund)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.