Reading the news can be very interesting, but it can also be infuriating. When wicked people seem to be getting away with their sin and others are being adversely affected, we often cry out for justice. Why is our government allowing these things to take place? When will somebody stand up and do something about these terrible things? And the more you think about what is happening, the more likely you may be to ask God the same questions. Why are You allowing such wickedness to happen? Why don’t You do something about it? If you were to respond to daily events in that way, I would be quick to offer you a biblical solution. It is found in Psalm 37.
- What does it say?
In this psalm, David addresses righteous people about their response to wicked people. He says…
Do not fret or envy wicked people because they will soon be like grass that is cut down and withers. Instead of fretting, do these four things: trust the Lord, do what is good, live in the land, and sustain yourself with God’s faithfulness. Take exquisite delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s request. Roll your undertakings to the Lord, rely on Him, and He will act. And He will cause your righteousness and justice to come forth as the midday light. - What does it mean?
Righteous people should not worry about wicked people (Psalm 37:1-2).
Have you ever been so upset about something that it bothers you all week long? It could be your feelings about a relationship, finances, or a wrong done to you. Whatever the case, it gnaws at you and you can’t think of anything else. That is called fretting or being anxious. When it involves another person, those thoughts fill your mind and kindle a fire inside of you that can’t seem to be quenched. This was what was happening to some of the righteous people who were in conflict with wicked people. As they were seeking to love and obey God, they saw how wicked people seemed to be prospering while they were not. This led to a burning anger inside them that caused them to be anxious.
God’s answer for this anxiety was a reality check. Those who wanted to please the Lord were not to fret about the wicked or envy their prosperity. Instead, they were to realize the end result of the wicked. God had promised that at some point the wicked would be cut down and wither. He used the idea of grass being cut or a plant withering to describe the eventual destiny of wicked people. While it might look like wicked people are enjoying life and are doing better than those who are seeking the Lord, their end will eventually come. They will be judged by God and will be removed. With their future end in mind, what need was there to worry?
Righteous people should live their lives trusting in the Lord (Psalm 37:3).
So far, we have seen that righteous people should not fret about wicked people. But how does that look in everyday life? David gives four ways to stop fretting. First, we are to trust in the Lord. This is a Spirit-led confidence in God’s ability to handle all the things that bother us. Instead of fretting about what has, is, or might happen, the righteous are called to trust God to take care of each situation. Second, we are to do what is “pleasant, agreeable, good”1 from God’s perspective. The fact that the wicked are not doing these things should have no bearing on whether we do what is pleasing to the Lord. Third, we are to settle down and live in the land. Instead of worrying about how others are acting, the righteous should go on living their lives where God has placed them. Fourth, we are to feed on God’s faithfulness. This is another way of saying that the Lord will continue to be faithful to those who choose to trust and obey Him. I am reminded of what David says later in the psalm. “I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” The righteous should remember that God is always faithful and will not forsake them. All of this can be summed up in one statement. Righteous people should live their lives trusting in the Lord. This trust in the Lord will replace any anxiety they have.
Righteous people should delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4).
Worry should be replaced by trust in the Lord. But how do you get to the place where you can do that? David tells us that it comes from delighting in the Lord. The Hebrew word used by David here is interesting. In some cases, it refers to something that is “soft, delicate, dainty.”2 What does that have to do with delighting in something? Think about it. Some of the nicest things are soft and delicate. When you dress yourself, you want something that is comfortable and to your liking. You wear comfortable clothes instead of scratchy, dirty clothes because you like them better. When you get home from work, you change into something more comfortable and you like the change. The other meaning of the word involves taking exquisite delight3 in something. Think of something to which you respond that way. It may be a favorite book, movie, car, or person. That delightful object causes you to smile really big.
While other things may make us smile temporarily, God wants us to get to the point where our ultimate delight is found in Him. How does that happen? If you were to ask me about a certain car, I might be able to give you all the specifications of the engine, performance, and features if I was very interested in it. My interest in that car would lead me to study all that I could about it. This is how any delight is formed. Continued time, reading, and experience lead to a delight in that which is studied. With God, that kind of delight comes from studying what the Bible says about Him, choosing to obey His commands, and developing a relationship with Him through prayer. When a righteous person comes to the place where he delights in the Lord, God promises to give him his heart’s desire. Is this a promise that God will give you whatever you want? No, I think it is a statement of what delighting in God produces. When our main delight is in God Himself, we will develop a heart that loves God and find delight in what He does.4 Have you found that to be true?
Righteous people should give their work to the Lord (Psalm 37:5-6).
What have we learned so far? We have seen that trust should replace anxiety and that delighting in God has positive results. How then should we live as righteous people in a wicked world? David reminds us to commit our ways to the Lord. In other words, whatever you are endeavoring to do should be given over to the Lord. The Hebrew language uses the idea of commitment to God as rolling something away.5 Whether it was anxiety about wicked people or the hard work of doing right, they were to roll the burden from their shoulders and over to God. In this way, they would be giving God control of the situation and trusting that He would take care of it as He thought best. That is good advice. But what happens when a righteous person rolls his situation over to the Lord?
Let’s take the example of a righteous person who has conflicts with those who are wicked. Wicked people enjoy their sinful pleasures and don’t understand why righteous people want to hold back. Righteous people love God and want to please Him. An even though there will be times when believers are mocked for doing what is right, when they roll those burdens over to the Lord and allow Him to take care of them, there will be good results. One of those results is that the Lord will make you an example to others. In verse six, David pointed out that God would cause their righteousness to shine like the sun does at midday. This doesn’t say that wicked people will appreciate it. It simply says that God will make the righteous person’s godly behavior clearly visible to those involved. In the end, God’s opinion of what we have done is what matters most. - How does it apply?
What are you fretting about? (Psalm 37:1-3)
In the psalm, David linked fretting with wicked people who seemed to be getting away with their sin. Is this true? No, God says that the wicked will eventually be cut down. They will receive their punishment from God at some future time. Even if that punishment is reserved for the final judgment, they will at some point be addressed by God. So, we shouldn’t allow their ungodly actions to cause us to fret as if God is not in control. However, that is easier said than done sometimes.
How can we stop ourselves from fretting about these things? The truth is that “an obsession with enemies and rivals cannot be simply switched off, but it can be ousted by a new focus of attention.”6 Our anxieties often grab our attention, and it is difficult to dislodge their grip. So, what can we do? We must somehow come back to the reality that God is not dead, and He is still in control. When your anxiety is getting the best of you, remember what God says here. Your conflict, situation, or need is only temporary. And God is still actively involved in your life. Instead of fretting, remember that God is and has always been faithful. Trust Him.
What are you delighting in? (Psalm 37:4)
In the psalm, David reminds us to delight in the Lord. When someone delights in the Lord, he is focused on God’s character, actions, and promises. Those things fill his mind and bring him to the place where nothing else is as important. Knowing, loving, and serving the Lord is what brings the greatest joy to that person. Have you noticed that David often talks about his love for God in the psalms?
Psalm 18:1 – “I will love you, O Lord, my strength.”
Psalm 26:8 – “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.”
Psalm 119:103 – “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
These words show us that David was delighting in the Lord. But what about you? Do you delight in the Lord, or have other things taken His place in your affections? This is something that can easily happen. As we focus our attention on people, things, and the future, we often exchange the joys of knowing God for things that are not eternal. Perhaps it would be good for each of us to take a step back to see what we are delighting in and then make some changes.
What are you trusting in? (Psalm 37:5-6)
In the psalm, David likened trusting the Lord to rolling away something. The anxiety that was affecting the righteous people back then had become a burden on their shoulders that they were never intended to carry. And yet, they often held onto those cares instead of rolling them away for God to take care of. The person who truly trusted God would give over his endeavors to the Lord.
What about you? Are you clinging to your anxieties or giving them over to God? The truth is that we often want to fret and carry our troubles. We want to handle things ourselves. But that is not what God intended. He wants you to trust Him and to roll your anxieties over to Him to handle. What others are doing is out of your control. However, as you seek to love and serve the Lord, commit your endeavors to God and trust Him to take care of each situation. When you roll your troubles to the Lord, you can be confident that He will guide you into the best solution for your problems.
Conclusion
Sometimes, at the end of Bible preaching, we walk away with our heads down thinking about our failures. While we should allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of wrongdoing, we should add another perspective to what we have just learned. In this psalm, we have been commanded to stop fretting, to start delighting, and to roll our anxieties over to the Lord. But if that is all that you got from this message, you would be missing something very important. All of what has been said in this psalm shows us that God wants what is best for us. He wants a relationship with us. So, as you seek to make adjustments in your life, know that God loves you and wants you to come to the place where you will delight in Him. When you do, you will find the peace and joy that you have been missing.
Bibliography
Kidner, Derek, Psalm 1-72, Downers Grove; InterVarsity Press, 1973.
Leupold, H. C., Exposition of The Psalms, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979, orig. 1969.
Ross, Allen P., “Psalms” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament, USA: SP Publications, 1989.
Footnotes
- Brown, Driver, and Briggs as viewed at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2896.htm on 4/11/2026. ↩︎
- Brown, Driver, and Briggs as viewed at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6026.htm on 4/11/2026. ↩︎
- Brown, Driver, and Briggs as viewed at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6026.htm on 4/11/2026. ↩︎
- “Let Him be your joy, for He is wont to give those that leave all issues in His hands such things as are good for them” (Leupold 300-01). ↩︎
- Brown, Driver, and Briggs as viewed at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1556.htm on 4/11/2026. ↩︎
- Kidner 149. ↩︎