Psalm 37 - Do Not Fret
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
Wondering where your blessedness is? Don't fret! Discover how to dwell in it today.
Psalm 37 (NKJV)
A Psalm of David.
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The LORD laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the LORD upholds the righteous.
18 The LORD knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the LORD,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28 For the LORD loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the LORD,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.
Heidelberg Catechism
Q&A 125
Q. What does the fourth request of the Lord's prayer mean?
A. “Give us today our daily bread” means,
Do take care of all our physical needs
so that we come to know
that you are the only source of everything good,
and that neither our work and worry
nor your gifts
can do us any good without your blessing.
And so help us to give up our trust in creatures
and to put trust in you alone.
Summary
Most of you are reading this on the first Friday in April, and already a quarter of 2026 is in the rear view mirror. Certainly there may be a few of you for whom everything about this new year is turning out splendidly, just as our first Psalm of the year promised, that the man who rejects sin and delights in God's law will be blessed. But for most of us, this year hasn't been a bed of blessed roses. For some of you, maybe even many, this year's been anything but blessing - even though you've not walked, stood or sat in the company of evildoers and have made a concerted effort to meditate on God's Word.
David wrote today's psalm for those who find themselves in that second group - those who look around them and see evildoers prospering while they languish. David's message to you is clear: Do not fret because of evildoers. In other words, don't let their apparent success fool you; don't be envious of them, because they shall soon be cut down like the grass and whither.
It may seem like everything is going their way now, but David pulls back the curtain. These evildoers will be cut off; the swords they draw to slay the upright shall instead enter their own heart; The wicked shall perish, David continues, writing that into smoke they shall vanish away.
Ultimately, the LORD laughs at the evildoers, for He sees that their day is coming, but, the LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.
Dig Deeper
Psalm 37's overall message is that the blessedness that God's people are promised isn't always evident on a day to day basis (or year to year, or even decade to decade). This isn't just a theoretical claim presented in poetry. David gives a whole list of practical instructions that will help you persevere as you continue on your journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land.
Pick one of these imperatives that you need to improve on the most. Share your pick and explain why you picked it in the comment box below.
Do not fret
Trust in the LORD and do good
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness
Delight in the LORD
Commit your way to the LORD
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him
Do not fret (mentioned twice!)
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath
Depart from evil, and do good
Wait on the LORD, and keep His way
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who shall save and deliver us from the wicked;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Choose one of Psalm 37's imperatives and pray that God will strengthen and equip you to live it out;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
