The beginning of this Psalm encourages us to not fret if people wrong us or if it seems like evil doers are getting ahead. To me fretting is a form of worry and can lead to feelings of anxiety. Anxiety robs the believer of the fullness of joy and living the way the Father intends for His People. Since I lived with severe anxiety for so many decades I want to know what the Word says about countering it.
There are seven verbs in the first few verses of Psalms 37 that help us to counter fretting. These actions should be building one upon the other with trusting or having confidence in our Heavenly Father as our firm foundation.
Trust: "batach" To have confidence in our LORD which should lead us to doing good. The trusting or confidence is in the character of our LORD. This doing good would be the same as a healthy plant producing fruit. The plant does not set out to work doing good but produces based in how the plant is rooted. This trusting should also lead us to dwelling where God intends for us and being fed properly. Isn't that what we all need, to feel established and satisfied?
Delight: "anag" To be delicate or to be pampered in the LORD which leads to Him giving us our desires. Delight also means to enjoy. It has an intimate quality like a husband and wife enjoying the company of each other. This word "gives" is the same as giving a gift or bestowing on someone a blessing. When you really enjoy the company of an other, it is a natural thing to desire to lavish them with gifts.
Commit: "galal" To roll away or roll together your ways to the LORD. This implies that you both have the same goals or plans. If two people have the same purpose they will not be countering what one another is saying or doing. Agree with God! Agree with Him that the relationship you both have is based on your trust in what Jesus accomplished for you through His sacrifice. If you are trying to work to please God and He is trying to show you that the price is already been paid for you then this will be counterproductive.
Rest: "damam" quietness, stillness, literally not speaking in the LORD and at the same time "wait patiently" or "chuwl" which is a word that means to dance or whirl about... one of the definitions is "to be born" like it's a struggle to get out of the womb. There are seasons when stuff is flying at you and it seems like speaking to it would be the best defense but this part of the structure (strong tower) of defeating anxiety is to just zip the lip and use your energy to see whatever it is that the LORD is birthing in your life.
Cease "raphah" from anger: which means to sink or slack. Forsake "azab" wrath....abandon venomous poison. There will be days you would love to be angry until you see 100% deliverance from whatever might be causing you to feel fretful. But this encourages us to just not attempt to fix it our self. Abandon poisonous stuff that would keep us bound to the situation.
The remainder of the Psalm is about knowing that God will deliver us out of our troubles and that evil will not win. Well, guess what?!!! I have really Good News for you. In 2 Corinthians 1 Paul explains that all the promises of God (all the Bible) are in Him (our Savior Jesus) yes and Amen! Jesus made it clear from the cross that what He accomplished by His sacrifice is a finished work. We don't have to wait for God to deliver us from evil or send healing or any other answer to prayer because Jesus did everything necessary for life and godliness. (2Peter 1:3)
As New Testament saints, we don't wait for Him to do anything more, but believe what He has already done. Believe and receive.
Psalms 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
