1Do not fret over those who do evil;

do not envy those who do wrong.

2For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender plants.

3Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will do it.

6He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men prosper in their ways,

when they carry out wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and abandon wrath;

do not fret—it can only bring harm.

9For the evildoers will be cut off,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the landb

and delight in abundant prosperity.

12The wicked scheme against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,

13but the Lord laughs,

seeing that their day is coming.

14The wicked have drawn the sword

and bent the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16Better is the little of the righteous

than the abundance of many who are wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

There are two types of people in this world: there are two ways leading to two vastly different destinies. We have the godly and the ungodly. We have the way of the righteous and the way of the unrighteous. Furthermore, there are those among the unbelieving group who not only lack faith, but they actively pursue evil and persecute the people of God. At one level, it may seem at times that these evildoers have it all their own way. But Psalm 37 assures us that their day will be short-lived. Their down fall may seem a long time coming. But this is because our perspective is limited. The truth is (and God knows this) they will soon ‘wilt’ and ‘wither’. Our task is to quietly and confidently wait for the Lord to act in His own good time, in full assurance that He will.

Consider these extracts from ‘The Message’:

Don’t bother your head with braggarts

or wish you could succeed like the wicked.

In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings

and wilt like cut flowers in the sun…

Quiet down before God,

be prayerful before him.

Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder,

who elbow their way to the top.

Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,

cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.

Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;

God-investors will soon own the store.

Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;

you’ll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!

Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,

relishing a huge bonanza.

Bad guys have it in for the good guys,

obsessed with doing them in.

But God isn’t losing any sleep; to him

they’re a joke with no punch line.

Bullies brandish their swords,

pull back on their bows with a flourish.

They’re out to beat up on the harmless,

or mug that nice man out walking his dog.

A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—

slapstick figures in a moral circus.