Fret not yourself

Verse for the week: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!”  Psalm 37.7

Prayer for the week: Almighty God, make me to know your ways, even as it means the death of my will, lead me in your truth and teach me; for you are the God of my salvation, for you my soul waits all the day long; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 37.1-9 (An acrostic poem, with two verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet; here only verses 1-9 are shown. The poem gives voice to the tension between the prosperity of the wicked and the slander of the righteous.)

¹ Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
² For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.

³ Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
⁶ He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

Prayer of the Day: Gracious and Almighty Father, you have begun your good work in us through Christ. Complete it in your time, not mine. While you work grant me not to fret myself over evildoers or envy. Teach me not to eat up myself, but to feed on your faithfulness… and to wait for you to act. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMf69QqS5r0&ab_channel=MartijndeGroot

“And lead us not into temptation…”

What does this mean?  God tempts no one to sin, but we ask in this prayer that God would watch over us and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful self may not deceive us and draw us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins.

And we pray that even though we are so tempted we may still win the final victory.  (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)

Benediction: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.   Psalm 149.4

 

*This is now our congregation’s 99^th year in the Word. In 2025, we are reading from Genesis to Revelation, with a few interludes along the way.