“Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.”
~~Psalm 37:1-2~~

The phrase “do not fret” <charah> means to glow or grow warm.  At times, like in this verse, it is used figuratively to mean to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy; to fret oneself or be angry.  Two words popped out to me in that definition so I took the time to do some digging.  

“Fret” means, to eat or gnaw into : to corrode : to fray : to rub, chafe : to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex.  The fact that God commands me “do not fret” means that there is a good chance fretting comes pretty naturally to humans.   

PAUSE TO PONDER these commonly used phrases.  “I’m coming apart at the seams!” (that describes emotional “fraying”).  Or how about, “Well…therein lies the rub…” (that describes being emotionally “chafed”).  Both of those phrases describe emotional stress.  God is saying, choose to not allow an outward circumstance to affect your inward state of mind.  

“Angry” means feeling or showing a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism : painfully inflamed.  Take note of how that definition is ordered.  First “feeling”, then “showing”.  Why?  Because anger begins inwardly with a “feeling” of displeasure, and if not addressed God’s way, it becomes stronger and turns into “showing” before you know it.  It can either be an outburst of anger, or it can be mere irritability toward those around you; but you are affected nonetheless. 

“Be angry, yet do not sin.  
Do not let the sun set upon your anger.” 
~~Ephesians 4:26~~

“. . .be slow to anger . . . man’s anger does not 
bring about the righteousness that God desires.” 
~~James 1:19-20~~

YOU CAN HAVE A FEELING WITHOUT THE FEELING HAVING YOU.

PAUSE TO PONDER the phrase “painfully inflamed” in the definition of angry.  If something is inflamed, it causes the person pain, but it is also outwardly evident to others as well.  As followers of Jesus, it’s not our anger that should be evident to those around us, but instead, our inner “peace” should be what is noticeable to others. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16-17, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want” and then in verses 22-23, he describes the fruit (outward evidence) of walking by the Spirit – “ love, joy, PEACE, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” will be evident in our lives. 

As I made my way through this phrase, “Do not fret because of evildoers”, it became glaringly apparent as to why God prompted me to study through Psalm 37 (and I’m only on day one).  I’m so thankful that I serve a God who knows me better than I know myself.  

Being totally transparent here, I have found myself fretting and many times getting so angry at what I see taking place in our country.  It appears that evil is taking over and winning.  Morality is corroding right before our very eyes, where the things that would have been offensive and prohibited in past generations are now being displayed on billboards, in advertisements, in basically all forms of media.  We are seeing outbursts of anger and destruction on our streets and in our neighborhoods.  We are seeing our freedoms eroding.  And honestly, not only does it make me angry,  it scares me to death sometimes.  

BUT GOD!!!

God showed me here in this phrase that the emotions that I am experiencing do not please Him.  So what do I do?  I follow directives found in God’s Word.  Be angry and do not sin (by allowing anger to take over; “have the feeling without allowing the feeling to have me”).  Acknowledge that NOTHING in this world, or the supernatural world for that matter, happens without first passing through my Sovereign God’s hands.  I don’t have to fret or get angry or be afraid of anything that is happening in this world because I have a God who is in COMPLETE CONTROL — a God who shelters me under His wings like a mama bird does her babies — a God who holds me in the palm of His hand where nothing and no one can snatch me away — a God who promises He will never leave me or forsake me.  THAT’S THE GOD I SERVE!!!  And I CHOOSE to fret no longer!!!