Overview
Psalm 37 tells you to fret not because the evildoers you are watching prosper are like grass, soon cut down and withered, while those who trust in the Lord and do good will dwell in the land and be fed now, in the present. Rev. Rico Magnelli reads the psalm through and draws out its four commands: trust in the Lord, delight thyself also in the Lord, commit thy way unto the Lord, and rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Waiting, he explains, is not sitting in a waiting room looking at your watch. It means your expectation is in him, because only God knows the variables that have to come together in your life.
Transcript
Psalm 37 Verse 1: Fret Not Thyself Because of Evildoers
Psalm 37. I just wanted to touch base on this psalm and read it, and I think it has a very particular and specific message for us in our day and time. Let’s read it.
It says in verse 1, fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Those that work iniquity, they work at it. And God knows who those people are.
They may not necessarily fall into categories that man understands. They may not have the labels that man understands. So you got to see a little bit deeper.
But they work at iniquity. They labor at it. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
So those that work iniquity, those evildoers are like grass. And grass grows and grass is cut down. And then at times it withers away.
Trust in the Lord and Do Good: Relinquish What Is Beyond Your Control
But what we are to do is trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. It’s not talking about dwelling in heaven.
It’s not talking about eternal life here. It’s talking about now and in the present. And to trust the Lord means that with your whole heart you relinquish things that are beyond your control.
You relinquish them. You let them go. When we have a challenge or an issue, we bring it before the Lord our God and then we compare that issue with the authority and the majesty of the Lord our God.
And we have to come to a conclusion. He already has. You have to come to your own conclusion.
It says, so shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. In other words, you’re going to be nourished. You’re going to be taken care of all the days of your life.
Delight Thyself in the Lord and He Shall Give Thee the Desires of Thine Heart
That’s where it begins. And we can teach this to other people if we can model it for them. If we can show them what trust in the Lord looks like, what trust in the Lord sounds like.
That’s the words that come out of our mouth. And we can help each other. It says, delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
God provides and inspires those desires within us. They’re never selfish, so don’t worry about that. When he inspires those desires within your heart, they’re not selfish.
They move in accordance with and in harmony with God’s heart. He will provide those things. And then commit thy way unto the Lord.
Trust also in him. After he’s put these inspirations, these desires on your heart, you commit your way unto the Lord. Not unto men, unto the Lord first.
Rest in the Lord and Wait Patiently for Him: What Waiting Really Means
Then we move out horizontally, but always the Lord first. Trust also in him. Again, he says that.
And he shall bring it to pass. Not only that, and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy judgment as the noon day. Our lives can be so bright and so brilliant in a dark and perverse world that it just stands out.
But that requires us not to compromise on our trust. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. That means our expectation is in him.
Waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean you’re in a waiting room and you’re looking at your watch. That doesn’t mean that. It means that your expectation is in him.
That’s what it means. It has very little to do with time. The variables that need to come together in your personal life, I don’t know all of those what they are, but God knows what those variables are, and he can guide us to the confluence of all the right variables in your life, and then you just hit it perfectly.
Because he’s the all-knowing God. That’s why you can rest and wait patiently for him because our expectation is in him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.
When Evildoers Prosper: Be Not Deceived, God Is Not Mocked
There are people that work iniquity that seem to prosper, that seem to advance, that seem to be promoted, that seem to be a guiding quote-end-quote light to other people. Don’t be fooled. God is not fooled.
The word says, be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he reap.
No matter what people say, no matter what people do, God sees everything, and he says, rest in him because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. There’s no stone that will not be unturned because God sees it all. It says, cease from anger, stop being angry, and forsake wrath.
See, that’s another way of controlling, is get people to an extreme category. I’m talking spiritually here. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, for evildoers shall be cut off, but those that wait upon the Lord, those that put their expectations in him, they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be, but yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. I could run down a list of people down through the ages that have produced a lot of evil, and they’re all gone. They’re all gone.
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth and the Abundance of Peace
And I know there’s new ones that prop up. I know that, but they’ll be gone too. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of what? Peace.
And that peace is that rest that comes from accomplishment. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. Because the world does not accept Christ.
God’s people accept Christ, but the world doesn’t accept Christ, because he is the answer, Jesus Christ. The Lord shall laugh at him, for he seeth that his day is coming. And there’s great solace, and there’s great peace in the heart of the individual that understands that everything is going to come back around.
Their Sword Shall Enter Into Their Own Heart
The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy, and they do this with words, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. That means the strength and the power that they have, which is spiritual power, will be broken.
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken. The arm is talking about their strength.
But the Lord upholdeth the righteous, that’s you. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs. They shall consume into smoke, shall they consume away. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again, but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth.
The Earth Is the Lord’s: Ownership as Temporary Stewardship
For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth, and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. See, the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.
No one owns anything. I know we talk about private property. I’m all in favor of private property.
That’s not what I’m saying. But in a spiritual sense, it’s a temporary stewardship. It’s a temporary stewardship because the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.
And he’s our Father. And the earth will support the upright. The earth will respond to the righteous because it’s our Father’s property.
Though he fall, talking about the good man, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, David says, and now am old, yet I’ve not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. It’s not going to happen.
The Law of His God Is in His Heart, Not Just in His Head
Depart from evil and do good and dwell forevermore. For the Lord loveth judgment and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved forever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. We continually share what is right according to the word, without fear, without hesitation.
The law of his God is in his what? That’s where it’s got to be. The word has to be in your heart, not some mental exercise and where you quote scriptures that are out of context or you don’t even understand what they mean. It’s got to be in your heart, and that’s because you put it there.
Whatever’s in your heart is because you put it there. I didn’t put it there. You put it there.
And your heart is that seat of your personal life. It is the innermost sanctum of what you truly value in thought. None of his steps shall slide.
Man’s Day of Judging and Why God Will Not Condemn You
The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him. That’s right. The Lord will not leave him in his hand nor condemn him when he is judged.
Sure, we receive the judgment all the time because today is man’s day. He does the judging, but God will not condemn us. Wait on the Lord.
Put our expectations in him. Because something hasn’t come to pass, it doesn’t mean it will not come to pass. It could be that the variables have just not come together, and only the Lord our God knows what those components are.
And keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. I have seen, David says, the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Yet he passed away, and lo, he was not. Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man and uphold the upright, for the end of that man is what? Peace.
The Salvation of the Righteous Is of the Lord
The transgressors shall be destroyed together. The end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.
He is their strength in the time of trouble. When you feel like you do not have the strength, that’s when you cross that line, and you completely relinquish your issue concern to God. If you hold on to it, your strength will wither, because you and I do not have the strength.
You don’t. No one’s that smart, and no one’s that strong. It requires the Lord.
Like it says in Ephesians 6:10, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. That’s how you enter into the spiritual fight. You got to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
And he will strengthen you. He will. He already is.
Navigate by the Word of God, Not by What You Hear
And he doesn’t shy away from trouble. He doesn’t get scared and run away. He’s right there in the trench.
He’s right there with you. So move. Don’t navigate by what you hear.
Navigate by the word of God. This doesn’t change. What men say one thing, they say something else, they change every other day.
Lies and hypocrisy. Don’t worry about it. Don’t navigate by them.
Navigate by this book, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them, because they trust in him. And this is very applicable in our day and time.
We Are Not Looking for Another Messiah
We don’t need to look for any other Messiah. We don’t trust in any man. We don’t trust in any organization.
That doesn’t mean we don’t support people, and we don’t support organizations or structures of man. Sure we do. Absolutely.
Pray for them all the time. Pray for our countries. Pray for our leaders.
It says so in the word. Absolutely. 100%.
But I don’t put my trust there. My trust is in the Lord God. Period.
Why Morality in a Society Starts With the Ministers
End of story. We’re not looking for another Messiah in terms of other than Jesus Christ. He already came, and the work’s been done.
You know, we live in civil societies, other arrangements, maybe not as advanced as some people term civil societies, and at times the scale tips, and usually it’s because you have immoral leaders right down the line, and it starts with the ministers. That’s right. It starts with the ministers.
Genuine ministry of God is to represent Jesus Christ, and he was the most moral man, the most moral, beautiful thing that ever walked this earth. He came directly from God himself, and a minister is supposed to stand for that morality. Morality means what’s right and what’s ethically.
When the ministers stand, morality starts to move out throughout the culture. When the ministers compromise and break down and make up their own stuff, and they don’t stick to the word, what God says is right is right. What God says is wrong is wrong.
Period. No debate. It’s not even a discussion topic.
Take a Stand and Be Bold With the Word: Elijah and the 7,000
I could give you example after example after example. The point is very simple. Whatever God says is, that’s it, and a minister, his first responsibility is to morally take a stand.
That’s what affects society, and then boldly declare it. I don’t mean jump up and down and throw Bibles at people, you know, and all this kind of stuff. That’s not what I’m saying, but I’m saying taking a stand and be bold with the word, because when the boundaries break down, that’s when the adversary can move in, and you have people that look good, and they work on the outside, and on the inside, immoral, and I mean immoral spiritually.
They contradict what God says in Christ Jesus. So when you have immoral leaders in a civil society, what happens is it gives access to the adversary of God, and the adversary of God’s people, and then the spirit realm has more influence, and therefore the scale tips, but it can only go so far, that’s all, but not to be afraid and to be courageous in the Lord our God. When Elijah was challenged, a great prophet, he thought he was the only one left, and God shared many things with Elijah, and Elijah was told that, hey, they didn’t reject you, they’re rejecting me.
I got this, and he was told he had 7,000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal, and then he took action to improve the condition of God’s people. So the word says in Psalm 46:10, be still and know that I am God. Be attentive to Him.
Be Still and Know That I Am God
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.
He is God. Did anyone notice that the sun came up today? I mean, did you really think about that? Do you think any man had anything to do with that? No. Men will come and go.
The Lord is God. That doesn’t mean that we can’t support, and encourage, and speak, and do all these wonderful things. Absolutely, go right ahead.
I think it’s great, but your trust is in the Lord. Trust and support, even wholehearted support, are not one and the same. Wholehearted support is great.
Absolutely, I do it, but I don’t trust. Trust means I rely on the power that’s behind this whole heavens and earth. That’s who I trust.
Keep Living: God Will Make a Way to Escape
Whatever God is at work in your situation, I don’t know. All I know is that you can’t trust in the arm of the flesh. It talks about in Psalms that the watchman watcheth in vain, and the Lord keeps the city, right? Anybody familiar with that? Well, the watchman does his job, but he’s still supposed to trust God, and we got some great watchmen here where we live.
Great, fantastic men and women, but it’s still, you gotta trust in God. Life is spiritual. It is, but he’s got you.
He will never leave you or forsake you. He’s got you in the palms of his hand, like all of us, so keep living. When the children of Israel were in Babylon, of all places, a den of spiritual iniquity, Jeremiah sends a letter to them and says, listen, keep living.
Build houses and do all these wonderful things. Keep living. So challenges are gonna come, and some will last a little longer than others, but there is nothing that our father God has not been through and has not already prepared all the solutions for you.
The word says that God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. You can leave here in peace, and then you’re gonna have to regulate what you put in your head and guard your heart.
Key Takeaways
- Fret not is answered by verse 2: those who work iniquity are like grass, they shall soon be cut down and wither as the green herb.
- To trust the Lord means that with your whole heart you relinquish the things that are beyond your control, and bring them before the authority and majesty of God.
- So shalt thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed is not about heaven or eternal life. It is about being nourished and taken care of now, all the days of your life.
- The desires God gives you when you delight thyself in him are never selfish. They move in accordance with and in harmony with God’s heart.
- Waiting on the Lord has very little to do with time. It means your expectation is in him, and he can guide you to the confluence of all the right variables.
- Wholehearted support for people, leaders and countries is right and good, but trust and support are not one and the same. Trust belongs to the Lord God alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does fret not thyself because of evildoers mean in Psalm 37?
It means do not work yourself up over people who labor at iniquity, because verse 2 answers them: they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Rev. Rico Magnelli notes that those who work iniquity work at it, they labor at it, and God knows who those people are even when they do not fall into the categories or carry the labels that man understands.
What does it mean to wait patiently for the Lord?
Waiting on the Lord does not mean you are in a waiting room looking at your watch. It means your expectation is in him, and it has very little to do with time. Rev. Rico Magnelli explains that God knows the variables that need to come together in your personal life, and he can guide us to the confluence of all the right variables, so that something which has not come to pass yet may simply be waiting on those components.
Is it wrong to support leaders and organizations if my trust is in the Lord?
No. Rev. Rico Magnelli says plainly that we support people, organizations and structures of man, and that we pray for them all the time, for our countries and for our leaders, because the word says so. But trust and support, even wholehearted support, are not one and the same. Trust means relying on the power behind this whole heavens and earth, and that trust is placed in the Lord God alone.
Scripture References
Psalm 37:1-40; Galatians 6:7; Ephesians 6:10; 1 Kings 19:18; Psalm 46:10; Psalm 127:1; Jeremiah 29:4-7; 1 Corinthians 10:13
