Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. Psalm 37:8 (NASB)
Do not fret.
We don’t hear or say this too often, do we?
We say, “Don’t worry” or “Don’t be afraid,” but we rarely say, “Don’t fret.”
In fact, you probably don’t use the word ‘fret’ at all these days—unless you play the guitar.
The word fret means to wear something down by pressing on it repeatedly.
Just envision a guitarist, repeatedly pressing his guitar strings against the frets to shape chords. The more he does this, the more his frets will change and eventually wear out.
God knows it’s the same for us as well, which is why He gave us the advice in this verse:
“Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.”
Have you ever gotten stuck on a thought?
When you’re worried about something, it’s easy to start replaying your problems and repeating the same negative thoughts over and over again.
That’s what fretting looks like! And if pressing down on guitar frets over and over again wears them down, going over and over your worries will wear you down.
Let’s look at this verse in its larger context:
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him: Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. Psalm 37:7-9 (NASB)
When you see corruption going unchecked or when you yourself have unmet needs, it can be hard to get those things off your mind. But the more you replay the problem, the more tempting it becomes to take matters into your own hands—and that’s a recipe for a bad decision.
Like the psalmist said, fretting leads to evildoing.
So let me ask you: What are you fretting about today?
What worry are you going over and over again in hopes of finding a solution?
Stop wearing yourself out.
Remember that fretting doesn’t lead to problem-solving, it leads to evildoing—which only causes more problems.
So instead of replaying our problems, lets take the Psalmist’s advice in verse 7: “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him…”
God Himself is the solution to our problems, so lets wait on His faithfulness instead of fretting over our worries today.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation. www.lockman.org