Psalms 37:3

NEED OF TRUST IN THE LORD

"Trust in Jehovah, and do good;

Dwell in the land and feed on his faithfulness.

Delight thyself also in Jehovah;

And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.

Commit thy way unto Jehovah;

Trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass.

And he will make thy righteousness go forth as the light,

And the justice as the noonday.

Rest in Jehovah, and wait patiently for him:

Fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way,

Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass."

That marvelous aria from Mendelssohn's Elijah, gives Psalms 37:7 here, along with Psalms 37:1, as the scriptural basis of the words of the aria, which are as follows:

"O rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him.

And He shall give thee thy heart's desires.

Commit thy ways unto Him, and trust in Him,

And fret not thyself because of evil-doers."

Every Christian, at one time or another, has marvelled at the success and prosperity of men who are openly profane and wicked; and it is that problem with which the psalmist is dealing.

God's people are repeatedly warned not to "fret." That means not to become irritated, angry, disturbed, or upset by what must appear to many as an injustice. The caution is that we should, `wait,' `trust in the Lord,' `commit our way unto God,' and `rest' in Him. And what will God do? He will continue his `faithfulness' toward us; he will give us the desires of our hearts (according to the margin, this means the things we have prayed for); he will `bring it to pass'; and he will `make the righteous go forth as the light' and the justice of his saints to shine as the noon sun."

These are among the most magnificent promises in the Bible, and God's people can afford to trust them.