“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.”

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers;”

The following psalm upends our natural impulses of how to live a full and abundant life. The core message of this psalm is that true fullness of life comes not as we expect. It is found not in manipulating our circumstances or controlling those around us or violently silencing those who threaten our ambitions but in quietly looking to God and letting Him sort out our lives. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (v.7). There is a glorious inevitability to the final glory of God’s people as they look to Him, trust in Him, delight in Him (vv.4-6). When the wicked, on the other hand, function out of self-trust and seek to build their lives on their own strength and reliance, enduring significance becomes elusive (vv. 35-36). They vanish as quickly as plumes of smoke disappear from a roaring fire (v.20).

“But the meek shall inherit the land” (v. 11). It is those who refuse to force their way into worldly control and power that will, one day, inherit such rule. This deconstructs our motives and liberates our ambitions once again. We need not scramble for control. The way up is down. Jesus took this verse (v.11)  and reiterated it in the beatitudes “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

And it is in the Lord Jesus Himself that we see this counterintuitive truth fully embodied. Jesus, the glorious Son of God, was condemned and crucified. Yet it was through the horrors of this anguish that He was brought through death and out the other side into light and glory and splendor (Philippians 2:6-11). United to this Saviour, we follow in His footsteps, knowing that the way to glory is through suffering (Romans 8:18). We follow this pattern in the glad knowledge that the deepest possible suffering — condemnation and hell — landed on Him instead of us.

~ESV Devotional Psalter

Psalm 37

English Standard Version

He Will Not Forsake His Saints

^a Of David.

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.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.^b
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 act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
For the evildoers shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

The wicked plots against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him,
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that his day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose way is upright;
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

Better is the little that the righteous has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will remain forever;
they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.

But the wicked will perish;
the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.

The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives;
for those blessed by the LORD^c shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the LORD upholds his hand.

I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.

Turn away from evil and do good;
so shall you dwell forever.
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land
and dwell upon it forever.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.
The law of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not slip.

The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
The LORD will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

Wait for the LORD and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.^d
But he passed away,^e and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.

Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is a future for the man of peace.
But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Footnotes:
a 1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
b 3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture
c 22 Hebrew by him
d 35 The identity of this tree is uncertain
e 36 Or But one passed by