Part 1 of a 4-part series on Psalm 37                                                

Trust in the Lord and do good.

It’s hard to do good when I’m busy fretting. When something is bothering me, all I seem to be able to think about is that thing. Worry has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? Consuming so much mental energy that we hardly have time to think about anything else, let alone have time to actually do good.

Instead, when I’m consumed by worry, I’m often more apt to do bad than to do good.

Like the bad that comes when I scowl at everyone I come in contact with because my worries have swallowed up my smiles.

Or the bad that comes when I lose patience with my husband because in that moment, my concerns and cares have outpaced my love.

Or the bad that comes when I yell at my children over the smallest infraction, not because what they did was necessarily so awful, but simply because my need to get my own way has eclipsed my ability to think and act lovingly.

It’s just too easy to do bad when I’m not trusting God.

When I’m overcome by worry it seems all I can think about are my own unmet needs. That’s a sure sign I’m not trusting God! I think it’s actually a reflection of my own desire to control every situation that affects me and the ones I love. Deep down, I know that if I really were in control of every situation that frightens or overwhelms me, then I would never have to face my deepest fears. I would never need to learn to trust in God.

Learning to trust begins with learning to be still. It begins with learning to put aside my frantic need for control and waiting to hear from God instead.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.

It is as I let go of my need to be in control, and as I name my fears and begin to entrust them to God’s love and care for me, that my need to trust in myself can shift to a willingness to trust in God. It is in taking my eyes off myself and gazing on the One who holds me in the palm of his hand, that my mind can center on the beauty of my Savior. It is when I see His character and experience His love that I can grow in trust.

And when I’m trusting and fixing my eyes on Him, it’s so much easier to do good.

Because He is good.