Clearing-the-Fog

June 16, 2026

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that our world is getting more and more wicked.  I am in my 6^th decade of church ministry and I can’t remember a time when our world and our society was so blatantly bad!  We read about all the things that have been happening over the last months – and it doesn’t matter what side you are on – there is just wickedness and evil present everywhere.  It is so easy to worry and fume about all the wickedness around us.  Sometimes you want to just go back to bed and pull the covers over your head.

Instead, spend some time reading in the Book of Psalms.  I especially like some of the promises of God given in Psalm 37.  David, the author, acknowledges the wickedness all around him.  But he didn’t let it worry him.  Yep, it appeared like the wicked got away with everything and seem to prosper in whatever they chose to do.  But David said not to worry!  Listen .. .

Psalm 37:1 (NLT) – “Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.”

The Hebrew word translated – don’t worry – carries with it the idea of getting heated up with anxiousness and anger.  In other words, David said, “Chill!” Don’t get in a lather because the wicked are in a shaky position.

Verse 2 – “For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.”

Instead of fretting and worrying, we should place our confidence in God and rest in the assurance of His presence.

Verse 3 – “Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.”

In other words, God will give stability and safety and will sustain your life.

Verse 4 contains a great promise for each of us.  But this verse must be approached with caution because to misinterpret David’s words can lead to an unhealthy expectation of what God will do.  David said this:

Verse 4 – “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”   

Sounds like carte blanche, doesn’t it?  Whatever we want God will give us.  Some might teach that, but that is to tinker with the real intent of David here in this verse. 

First, the word “delight” comes from a Hebrew word root that means “to be brought up in luxury, to be pampered.”  What David is talking about is reveling in the abundance of the blessings we have in the Lord Himself.  The blessings of friendship with God are enjoyed totally apart from what He gives us.  The danger here is to want the blessing and ignore the Blesser.  To do that is to practice idolatry.  We are worshipping things and not the Giver of things. 

In Jesus Christ, we have all God’s treasures.  We don’t need anything else. If we truly delight in the Lord, think about this, then the chief desire of our heart will be to know Him better so we can delight in Him even more.  When we do that, the Lord will satisfy that desire! This is not a promise for people who want “things,” but for those who want more of God in their lives.

Verses 5-7 close out this section of the Psalm and give us the assurance that God is still God, even when it appears that wickedness might prevail.

Verses 5-7 – “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.  ⁶  He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.  ⁷  Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”

Yes, we can focus on all the bad stuff around us and fret and fume and worry in anger and anxiousness.  But you and I know, such behavior gets us nowhere.  Instead – we need to focus on God – knowing God, trusting God, depending on God – when we do, God will work on our behalf giving us peace and the assurance of His ongoing presence even in the midst of turmoil.