Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.—Psalm 37:1–4
In Psalm 37, it’s as if David is saying, “Listen, friend, I know there is a lot of evil out there, and people seemingly getting away with things they shouldn’t, but soon their day will come. God will humble them. Don’t become like them! Instead, trust in God and continue to do good. Don’t let worry and anger get the best of you; rely on God who is faithful and will care for you.”
In this Psalm, David not only inspires us to trust in the Lord God, but he also shares how to do so and the results that come from it.
Delighting in the Lord is the key. Delight means to enjoy, to find satisfaction in. Think of how you enjoy a deep friendship. You make time to know that person more, to listen, to share, to experience life together.
If you struggle with trusting and delighting in the Lord, maybe it’s not that you need to try harder to muster up a feeling of trust and delight. Maybe you are missing something about who God is. He is awesome, trustworthy, faithful, and able to satisfy every desire we have. God wants you to know Him more, not fabricate your feelings about Him.
Take the time spent fretting and the energy of “trying harder to trust” and exchange it for seeking to know God more.
Pray and be fully transparent with God (Jeremiah 29:12–14).
Tell Him if you struggle to trust Him. Let Him know you want to know Him more. He delights in revealing Himself to you when you ask!
Prioritize your relationship with Him by listening to His heart (John 17).
Carve out time to know His character and faithful love for you. He gave you the Bible to know Him more. It’s common for Christians to view the Bible as a book of instructions that are hard to live up to. The Bible is so much more! It’s God’s story of His love for you.
Be awed by His handiwork in creation (Matthew 6:25–33).
Make a habit of setting aside distractions for a few minutes to soak in the sunset or gaze at the stars. Consider how He cares for the birds and the flowers in the field—and then remember how much more He cares for you.
And of course, keep worshiping Him through the music you sing along to on Life 96.5!
As you know God more, trust and delight will be the result, just as it was for David.