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"One of God’s Great "Don’ts" |
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Do not fret— it only causes harm —Psalm 37:8 |
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| Fretting means getting ourselves
"out of joint" mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say, "Do not
fret," but something very different to have such a nature that you find
yourself unable to fret. It’s easy to say, "Rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him" ( Psalm
37:7 ) until our own little world is turned upside down and we are
forced to live in confusion and agony like so many other people. Is it
possible to "rest in the Lord" then? If this "Do not" doesn’t work there,
then it will not work anywhere. This "Do not" must work during our days of
difficulty and uncertainty, as well as our peaceful days, or it will never
work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work for
anyone else. Resting in the Lord is not dependent on your external
circumstances at all, but on your relationship with God Himself. Worrying always results in sin. We tend to think that a little anxiety and worry are simply an indication of how wise we really are, yet it is actually a much better indication of just how wicked we are. Fretting rises from our determination to have our own way. Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God’s plans. Fretting is wickedness for a child of God. Have you been propping up that foolish soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God to handle? Set all your opinions and speculations aside and "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" ( Psalm 91:1 ). Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about whatever concerns you. All our fretting and worrying is caused by planning without God. |