Fretting…Or Committing?
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. . . . Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psalm 37:1, 5
There are no troubles that distress the mind and wear upon the nerves as do borrowed troubles. The Psalmist said, “Fret not thyself . . .” The implication is that fretting, complaining, and distress of mind are often self-manufactured and can best be coped with by a change of attitude and transformation of thought.
You cannot allay a baby’s anxiety by giving him a rattle when he is hungry. He will keep on crying until his hunger is satisfied by the food his little body demands. Neither can the soul of a mature man be satisfied apart from God. David described the hunger of all men when he said: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psalm 42:1). The Prodigal Son, who had to learn life’s lessons by painful experience, said: “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (Luke 15:17).
Two conflicting forces cannot exist in one human heart. When doubt reigns, faith cannot abide. Where hatred rules, love is crowded out. Where selfishness rules, there love cannot dwell. When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.
The very best prescription for banishing worry is found in Psalm 37:5: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” The word commit means to turn over to, to entrust completely.
Some years ago someone gave my little boy a dollar. He brought it to me and said, “Daddy, keep this for me.” But in a few minutes he came back and said, “Daddy, I’d better keep my own dollar.” He tucked it in his pocket and went out to play. In a few minutes he came back with tears in his eyes, saying, “Daddy, I lost my dollar. Help me find it.” How often we commit our burdens to the Lord and then fail to trust Him by taking matters into our own hands. Then, when we have messed things up, we pray, “Oh, Lord, help me. I’m in trouble.”
The choice is yours. Do you want to trust your life in God’s “pocket” or keep it in your own?
Our Father and our God, please forgive my doubt and fear. Take away my faithlessness, my selfishness, and my worry. Help me to put my trust totally in You. I commit myself to You, O Lord, and I pray for the courage to remain in Your care. Please take control of my life and lead me safely home to You through Christ. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).