Do Not Fret
July 25, 2008

“Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.” Psalm 37:8

David had plenty to fret about – he was chased, hounded, attacked, and assaulted for years. Yet he stated, “Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.”

Fretting truly does lead to evildoing. It erodes our trust in the Lord. It destroys our peace. It makes us edgy, nervous, and anxious. It undermines our physical health. It drives a wedge into relationships.

So how do we stop fretting? David provides the answer a verse earlier in the same psalm: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.” When you are fretting, you are not resting. When you are resting, you are not fretting. The very antithesis of fretting is to rest, to wait, to be patient, to trust. And all that comes when we move our focus off ourselves and the thing that is causing us to fret, and onto the Lord, who is sovereign over all.

• How much time do you spend fretting? What do you fret about?
• Do you think that the Lord either isn’t concerned or isn’t able to deal with the things you are fretting about? If so, why?
• Memorize I Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you.”