waiting vs worry

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!

Psalm 37:7

Sin complicates waiting on the Lord. And in this psalm we are reminded that two sinful attitudes in particular can derail waiting in faith on God. We must guard our hearts, turn from attitudes that hinder faith, and wait patiently.

The first sin that will makes it impossible to properly wait is comparison to other people that leads us to worry. In this psalm, David observes that evil men who plot against him seem to get the upper hand and do quite well for themselves. They seem to be able to do whatever they want. They seem to get whatever they want. It doesn’t seem fair (comparison always has us falsely thinking God is unfair). And this gets his soul anxious. When that kind of comparison dominates our thinking, we wonder if it is worth trusting God at all. We doubt God’s goodness to us. We not only lose hope, but we may even think that God doesn’t see us or care about us. But nothing could be further from the truth.

There is a second sin we can fall into: anger at a situation in which we must wait. In Psalm 37:8 the command is to “refrain from anger, and forsake wrath”. Again this anger leads to anxiety at the end of verse eight. I have found myself caught in this particular trap more than I want to truly admit… many times over the last seven months, comparing my situation to that of others, and then getting pouty and upset as I observe people… overcome and overrun by my strong feelings and changed situation. I get anxious and angry over the slow pace of grief and pain. Especially if I think other people who I sinfully judge as “more sinful” than me seem to thrive. But the warning is this: “fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” That kind of angry judgment is a very ugly sin in me.

Instead of comparison, worry, and anger, we must point our hearts to repentance and patient faith. God will not let evil prosper. And He will confront our own awful attitudes as we wait on Him. Look at the conclusion to this section in Psalm 37:9: “For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the LORD shall inherit the land.” God will always bless in our faith-focused waiting. Always! And so I will turn from my sinful comparison, anger, and worry. I will guard against them, not letting them gain a handhold on my heart. God will reward me in the wait! I know it! I trust Him! And what He has for me is well worth this soul-searching, faith-filled, humbling time of trust!