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Hello St. John’s Family,
Do not fret.
The opening words of Psalm 37 form the kind of imperative statement that, frankly, makes me fret. Not in the worrying sense, mind you; more in the “are you kidding me” sense. Telling me not to fret, in my simple mind, pretty much validates that agitated feeling in my gut that had me fixated and fretting in the first place. Reading on a bit further doesn’t exactly help. Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers… that just seems ridiculous. Seeing wickedness and wrongdoing seemingly prosper shouldn’t sit well with us, right? Otherwise, we’re yielding to indifference. If wickedness and wrongdoing doesn’t elicit frustration and concern on our part, what should?
Our current moment is one where many see the pervasive effects of wrongdoing swirling around us, drawing us into an ever-deepening cauldron of division and discord. Animosity toward opposing views is the universal baseline and retribution is the norm. While pretty much all of us see our society and world as broken, most of us sense the “other” side’s views and approaches are the reason why. They’re wrong. Wicked. Unjust and not aligned with God. A seemingly hopeless situation that descends to chaos. To which the Psalmist says:
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight 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. Psalm 37:1-5
As I have wrestled with faithfulness to God in a deeply divided and toxic time, I am beginning to see the deep wisdom of those verses. Fretting, see, places our primary focus on the mess: the wicked and broken ways of this world that seem to gain the upper hand (and have since the beginning of time). Will we notice those things? Absolutely. Will those things bother us? They should. Yet they shouldn’t be our primary aim or focus. That should be… wait for it… God. The Lord should be our primary focus and the only person in whom we fully trust. Taking delight in the Lord and committing our lives and actions to the ways of Christ will inevitably force each one of us to examine what part of our lives must shift to better align with Christ’s ways. That’s a humbling reality; one that I believe can offer an opportunity for healing, as people of faith come together to “commit their way to the Lord” together.
I’ve been praying those 5 verses each morning for the past couple weeks; I invite you to join me in that over the coming weeks. My prayer is that, together, we’ll all fret a little less… and more fully align ourselves with the ways of Jesus.
This Sunday, we’ll continue to reflect on Jesus’ “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6, as we tackle some pretty difficult teachings. Loving my enemies, blessing those who curse me, and praying for those who treat me like dirt, well, is not exactly my idea of a good time. Yet I believe Jesus’ guidance to live in a way that reflects God’s mercy is a powerful example of taking delight in the Lord, as the psalmist said. I hope you’ll check out Luke 6:27-38 and Psalm 37:1-11, then join me in worship!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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