Psa 37:1  A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 

Psa 37:2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 

Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 

Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 

Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 

Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 

Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 

Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 

Psa 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 

— Psalms 37: 1-9

 I think it is safe to say that every single good person in the world has asked themselves the question of how the wicked are accumulating riches, and why the good people, often do not accumulate such things.   But as the Lord tells David, do not fret because the wicked will be cut down like grass.  God also tells David not to be envious of the evil doers and the iniquity that they do.

Let’s be honest however, and admit that it isn’t always easy to not be envious of this dilemma where it appears that righteousness is being ignored and iniquity being rewarded.  The solution, as David says, is to trust in the LORD, because, “He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”  David says to, “Commit they way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.”  Keep in mind this isn’t always an instant ask and receive, but often a journey because verse 7 reads, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him…”  The LORD wants to give us the desires of our hearts, but He is also our father, which means that sometimes as children we must wait for the apportioned time our Father wants to provide us with the gift.

What happens when children don’t listen to their parents? Sometimes they throw a temper tantrum or do something that isn’t legal in order to make money quicker to achieve the riches they seek.  But this is the opposite of what God tells us to do.  Look at verse 7 and 8 together because the emotion in 7 leads to the instruction in 8,

Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 

Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 

God already knows how our nature works and thus provides us instructions on how to conquer this urge to do evil because of envy, and the envy is brought upon by ‘fretting’ (thinking constantly) about the riches, which is the complete opposite of what we are told to do – “Rest in the LORD.”  Remember in the parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16), “Man cannot serve two masters.” Like any good Father, they do not tell their sons not to do something or to wait for something because they don’t want to give it, but because there is a good time, and possibly a greater gift to come in the future. Put another way, there is a reward from God when we follow in His ways.

In order to rest in the LORD, it would be wise to memorize these words and do as David says in Psalm 1:2,

Psa 1:2  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

                       — Psalms 1: 2 

Peace be with you.