Friday: FRET NO MORE

Feb 17, 2023
2 min read

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Psalm 37:1-3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-6

When I fret, I cry inwardly—not to God, but to myself. Fretting is like the kindling to build a fire—I look for anything I can get my hands on to create the ideal I want. Fretting means that I am burning inside—with anxiety as well as anger—to realize the control that I desperately crave. King David warns not to fret over those people—you know who they are—they are those who are not focused on the Lord, and they want to distract me from Him. Just like the grass and the green plants—they will wither and die away, for that is their destiny.

The Lord wants me to trust in Him. Why? Because He is trustworthy. Trusting is believing that God knows me better than anyone, and He brings good to my life. God says good isn’t “accumulating things”, but good is what is holy in His sight. God wants to bring His holiness and His righteousness to my heart. He wants me to dwell with Him, and Him with me. When He dwells in my heart, we do life together. When we do life together, I finally rest in God’s hands and enjoy the safety of His pasture.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS

If God wants all these things for me, why is it so hard for me to submit to Him and not fret? Because of my pride, I think I can handle life by myself—in fact, I want to handle life by myself.

However, when I try to do things by myself, I take my eyes off God, and become disjointed from His way. I begin to think I am wise in my own eyes, and my path becomes crooked. At this point, I have lost my way, and I begin to fret. I fret because I want what I want, not what God wants for me.

Lord, when I cry out to You, You hear my voice. I am broken and submit to You with a humble heart. Please heal my fretting heart and make my paths straight. Amen.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman