“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4
It is a common concern among Christians, but one that Scripture is not ashamed to address: What are we to do with the fact that evil people seem to prosper in this world? How many times do we get tired of seeing good things happen to bad people, and we find ourselves tempted to compromise our own goodness in order to get a taste of the success they seem to be feasting on?
Psalm 37 in particular offers us wisdom in this area, and immediately informs us to not fret over it or become envious of evildoers. Not only does Scripture tell us to not stress over this, it says to not be surprised by it either. The arena of this world, where evildoers seem to excel, is a battleground for the faithful to prove their commitment to our Lord.
We must learn to be still before our Lord and wait patiently for Him to act. We must learn to avoid anger and always do good. We must not indulge ourselves with what this world may have to offer us, but instead feast on faithfulness to our Lord no matter what it may cost us.
And so, may we delight in our Lord and wait patiently for Him to give us the ultimate desire of our heart — the promise that we as His people will one day inherit the entire new earth.
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” — Psalm 37:8-9
— Terry Evans, Atlanta Braves chaplain
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