It seems that the only thing we Americans have in common anymore is that we are all angry at someone – we just can’t agree on whom to blame. Whether it be in the pages of formerly reputable newspapers, in the studios of TV news shows, on the streets of cities filled with protesters, or just in our Facebook feeds, we encounter one “rant” after another. And it’s all too easy to give in to the hate, to sit in judgment on one another, to assume that if anyone disagrees with us, he or she must be a fool at best or an idiot at worst.

Maybe we all need to take a step back and listen to what King David had to say in Psalm 37. After all, he was no stranger to abuse and injustice – he spent a good portion of his life on the run because King Saul falsely accused him of being a rebel. Later, his own son Absalom tried to kill him in order to seize the throne of Israel. And yet David could say, “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evil doing” (verse 8).

How could David remain so calm? Because he was trusting in God to judge the wicked. David knew that all those who live in a wicked way, those who remain in rebellion against God would eventually be “cut off” (v. 9). And such trust in God’s perfect justice freed him from his anger, allowing him to rest in the Lord, waiting on God’s timing to set all things right (v. 7).

But trusting in God isn’t just the best way to avoid anger – it’s also the key to contentment. For look at verse 4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” That’s the good news – God Himself is the greatest blessing we could possibly have. And God offers Himself to everyone who will receive Christ as Savior and bow the knee to Him as Lord.

So, what more could we want? If we have Christ Himself, why should we envy the wicked? So instead of living in anger and fear, why not commit our lives to the Lord, trusting Him to do what is right (vv. 5-6)?

Psalm 37:1-11 (NASB)

Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate 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 also in Him, and He will do it.
6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.