“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. 8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not yourself in any wise to do evil.”
The word for “rest” can also be translated as “be still.” My interpretation is that the word basically calls upon God’s people to relax and wait patiently for the Lord to do His work. The reminder here, as was given in verses 1-2, is not to worry about those who prosper through evil means. The meaning is that God wants us to relax and not worry about the people who seem to be winning by devious deeds. Instead we are to trust in the lord, delight in Him and commit ourselves to Him and relax and trust Him. My thoughts on this: We might as well relax because the world is always going to act like the world. This does not mean that we should not take steps to make things better in the world. It does mean that we live in a fallen world and after we have done all that we can do it is still a fallen world. History tells us that this is true. Biblical history tells us that this is true. Our task is to witness to people by living the Christian life and by telling them what Christ has done in our lives and leave the results to God. This is not a call to resignation and to throw up our hands and say “it’s no use.” It is a call to supremely trust in the Lord to act in His own time. Then David reminds us that we are to wait patiently for God to act. This can also be translated to “wait expectantly” for the Lord. This reminds us that God is taking care of things, and is going to take care of things in the future. The evil people of the world think that they are winning, but the reality is that the world is heading for a day reckoning. We have to wait patiently and expectantly because these things are in God’s hands, not ours. We can wait expectantly because we have a promise in Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” The world is in bigger hands than ours, and our lives are in greater hands than our own. This is not a call to resignation, but a call to greater faith in the Lord.. We are to work for righteousness, being sure that we are in God’s will and that the victory is already won by our faith in Christ. Then David reminds us that we are not to be overcome with anger and end up trying to defeat evil by our own devices. Notice the wording: “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.” We are bound to get angry about some things, but we need to bring it under control and don’t say or do too much. Sometimes we would do better if we would shut up and let God be God. We need God’s wisdom to know when to speak and when to shut up, and when to act and when not to act. Relax. You are in God’s great hands!!!! Believe it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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