Nancy’s Kitchen

Today I ran across a meditation in my notebook from March of 1996. I think this is a result of some discussion with my friend, Walt Wissinger. For me, it is God’s message to me, and perhaps to you, too. It is as fresh to me today as it was back when I wrote it. May you receive blessing and wisdom and understanding as you read on and ponder these words. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart with you.

Psalm 37 – “Rest,” “Do not Fret”

Verse 1 “Do not fret because of evil-doers, …be not envious of wrong-doers.”
Verse 3 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”
Verse 4 “Delight yourself in the Lord”
Verse 5 “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
Verse 7 “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of…”
Verse 8 “Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret, it leads only to evil doing.”
Verse 27 “Depart from evil and do good.”
Verse 34 “Wait for the Lord, and keep His way…”

Fretting and God’s Answer to Frustration

Fretting is meditating upon a matter in a negative way. It often has to do with a matter that is at least partially out of my control. It also involves a degree of anger, whether in as low a degree as frustration, or as high a degree as rage. This lack of my own control over a matter produces frustration (which may escalate to full-blown rage) and consequently evil-doing. It is this process which Psalm 37 addresses.

Meditating negatively (fretting) leads me to lose Godly perspective and concentrate progressively more intensely on the negative, therefore seeing the matter as hopeless or disastrous (evidenced often by panic) unless I become integrally involved in the solution. This premature involvement is called “taking matters into my own hands,” and this is precisely what the Scripture implies is “evil-doing.” This is because evil-doing is the natural result of the negative energy produced by fretting. Therefore, the person enacting his own solution will often resort to violence (physical, emotional, or verbal) against someone or something.

Again, there are varying degrees of violent reaction. The degree of violence may range from wishful thoughts of harm toward someone or something to outright physical destruction of property or person, including murder and suicide. This is why Jesus says that to hate in my heart is equal to murder. Both are the sinful result of not trusting a matter to God for His judgment or solution. Psalm 37 repeatedly explains that God will indeed act on my behalf, and even what those actions will be.

A not-so-obvious result of fretting, because it appears to be positive action, is an intense, take-command attitude. However, if my positive action issues out of the fretting, the negative side will become apparent as people and things “get in my way” or “slow me down” or “don’t cooperate” with my self-made solution.

An underlying problem here presents the need to constantly keep my perspective, my mind on God. Because this is an imperfect world, impacted as it is by sin, people and situations will inevitably present themselves as impediments to a solution even to God’s solutions. If I resort to finding my own solution, i.e., “figuring it out,” the results will always go in the negative direction, leading to evil-doing.

Psalm 37 also tells me when offended or frustrated, what I am to do about it, which is first and foremost to not fret, and to trust God and do good. It is the turning over of a matter to God, and sealing that transaction by doing good, that enables me to gain and maintain God’s perspective on the matter, and thereby cease from anger and avoid evil-doing.

How do I turn a matter over to God? The most effective and direct way I’ve found is to “Stop, Look, and Listen.” “Jesus!” I say, “Please help me see this person and this situation from Your Perspective.” Then I “look” again, and listen to Jesus’ words to me about it. These words come as a quiet voice in my mind, or a sense in my heart, or a Bible verse. How do I know if it is “God and not my own thoughts?” The answer will always be consistent with God’s character as revealed throughout the Bible. The quick and easy answer is the revelation of a new feeling in my heart, a new, positive perspective, a new way of seeing. I call it “seeing with God’s eyes.”
So now I finish with this thought…
Am I fretting?
STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!
Jesus is always near.
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”