The Joy of Glory

Psalm 37 (click here)
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. (Psalm 37:1-2, 8-9)

Reflection
Sinful anger is the result of short-sightedness.

We get caught up in the moment. We lose perspective. All we can see is our pain and the injustice of it all. Something needs to happen to correct the situation and it needs to happen NOW!

We have been promised that God will set all wrongs to rights…but we have not been promised that it happens right NOW.

Soon.

That is the promise we are given. The evildoer will SOON fade like grass. Jesus will come again SOON. We will inherit the land SOON. How can this word “soon” be used to describe something that feels eternally far away?

Perspective.

“Soon” describes the timing of these things from God’s perspective, not ours. We want to operate off of the perspective of “now”… God operates from his perspective of “soon.” We can only refrain from anger, forsake wrath, and let go of all fretting when we look at this world from the perspective of the eternal God.

This is how we wait for him. This is how we trust him. We strive to see things from his perspective and believe what he tells us is true. He will soon deal with all evil and bring us home to him. I trust him for this promise and so I will wait for “soon” instead of demanding the “now.”

Instead of growing angry in the “now,” I will wait to be amazed by the “soon.”

*The complete SVCC Lenten reading guide is available here.