Psalm 37:1-5 (antiphon, Psalm 37:7)– Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be
agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans.
Psalm 37 – Wisdom over Worry
This psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. Verse 25
tells us that it is David in his older years, giving wisdom in the pattern of a
song. This psalm is roughly acrostic in arrangement, with the lines arranged
with Hebrew sentences that begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew
alphabet. In style this is a wisdom psalm, directed not to God but to man,
teaching after the manner of the Book of Proverbs.
Rest in the
LORD, and wait patiently for Him.
Because God has promised to faithfully take care of those who put their trust
in Him, we can rest in the LORD. We
can wait patiently for Him instead of
fretting and fearing that God has forgotten us or intends evil for us.
Rest in the
LORD speaks of a particular kind of
rest – the rest of silence, ceasing from words of self-defense. The idea is
that we will not speak to vindicate ourselves; we will trust in God to protect
us.[2]
Collect for Psalm 37: Lord Jesus, you bless the poor with the kingdom of heaven. Teach us to put our trust in the Father and to seek his kingdom rather than to imitate the powerful or envy the right; so may we serve you now and forever. [3]
[1]
Luther’s Seal, copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
[3]
Collect for Psalm 37, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church,
Vol. I © 1994 The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, Delhi, NY
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