Delight Yourself in the LORD — sacred illustration
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Peace & Rest

Delight Yourself in the LORD

Psalm 37:1-11

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm of David, written, as he says in verse 25, after a long life, urging God’s people not to fret over evildoers but to trust the LORD and wait for Him.

Lord, I confess that I fret when people who do wrong get ahead. Help me trust in You and do good, right where You have put me. Let my delight be in You, and let the desires of my heart be shaped by You. I commit my way to You; I trust in You to act. Teach me to be still before You and wait patiently, to let go of my anger, and to rest in Your peace. Amen.

Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm of David, written, as he says in verse 25, after a long life, urging God’s people not to fret over evildoers but to trust the LORD and wait for Him.

The Scripture

“Of David. Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn, your justice like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm. For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.”

— Psalm 37:1-11

Prayer points from Psalm 37:1-11

  1. Name the person or situation you have been fretting over, and hand it to God (v. 1).
  2. Ask Him to help you trust Him and do good today, right where you are (v. 3).
  3. Tell Him what you delight in about Him, and offer Him the desires of your heart (v. 4).
  4. Commit a specific plan or decision to Him by name (v. 5).
  5. Ask for grace to be still before Him and wait patiently (v. 7).
  6. Ask Him to take away your anger and give you a meek and gentle spirit (vv. 8, 11).

About this verse

Psalm 37 is more counsel than prayer, and it starts with a problem everyone knows: watching people who do wrong get ahead. Three times in these verses David says do not fret (vv. 1, 7, 8). In place of fretting he gives four steps: “Trust in the LORD and do good,” “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart,” “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it,” and “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.” The promise is not instant justice but a long view: the wicked wither like grass, while “the meek will inherit the land,” a line Jesus took up in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:5). This prayer is for anyone eaten up by worry, envy or anger at the unfairness around them, and for anyone handing a plan or a decision to God.

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