A psalm of David.
Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.
Don’t worry, be happy!
The old song seems ridiculous in real life. How is it possible to not worry? With 4 dollar gas and declining home sales, banks folding and stocks tumbling, we are all worried about the future. These realities make life difficult for us all.
What makes me even more uptight is when I open the paper and read about oil executives being paid millions in bonuses and perks while I struggle to pay my bills. I get angry when I hear of evil people skirting the law because of crooked judges and bribed officials.
The Psalmist is either smoking weed with the hippies singing “Don’t worry, be happy” or he has found something most of us struggle to find. (I don’t think he was smoking weed.) The Psalmist tells me to trust God, keep persevering and don’t lose hope. Maintain an eternal perspective.
I live way too much of life in a temporal mindset. I think about today, tomorrow, maybe five years down the road when I do extended planning, but eternity? That is too far off to think of.
The Psalmist has challenged me today to start living like I am already in eternity, for that is ultimately the reality of every believer. I already possess the victory over death, so how big a problem is 4 dollar gas? It is not very big at all when looked at from an eternal perspective.
Lord of all eternity; help me to escape the confines of my present struggles to glimpse life through an eternal perspective. Lift me up to see life from your vantage point that I may find rest and comfort in knowing you are in control. – Dan Jones
The impossible dream
Envying those who do whatever it takes to climb the economic ladder comes naturally. Some just have the knack to climb over anyone who stands in the way, shut down or buy out competitors, downsize employees and demand more productivity out of those who remain, and minimize wages for the peons so those at the top reap huge stock options. While I don’t want to be that kind of person, boy, I sure would like the rewards.
Not all of them mind you. But I’d love to have a Lear jet and pilot at my beck and call, and just for pocket change! And I’d love to vacation all over the world without ever asking what it costs.
I love David. He’s a lot like me. In one psalm he’s lamenting the prosperity of those who will do anything to get to the top of the heap. Then, in his poem, he sings, “Get over it!” I know that emotional pendulum. Upset and envious one day then peaceful and trusting another. Humans are strange things, even those who love God deeply and serve God faithfully.
I suspect it is impossible to hope that there will never be occasional spasms of envy in me. And I am pretty sure that I will not always approve of how God goes about fulfilling my deepest heart yearnings. (Often that requires him to refuse me my wants because some of them inevitably sabotage the satisfaction of my deepest hopes and dreams!) I am confident, however, that God’s grace will lead me further and further into the reality David expresses today – trusting in the Lord, and doing good, without casting an envious, or even wishful, eye at the Lear jet flying overhead to some exotic locale.
Good God, I know that the deepest desires of my heart do not require any material prosperity to fulfill. In fact, you do not need anything more than the double ingredients of “our daily bread” and my seeking the Kingdom first with which to work out my hearts deepest desires. So again I focus my attention on you and the good you have for me to do during my days on earth. - Mike Leamon
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