Lent 2

"Do not fret. It leads only to evil." 

Great.

It is difficult when a person reads that their preferred way through life is actually the way to evil. And I can't help but say that eeee-vil a la Austin Power so it's even worse.  

I do appreciate how when I think to myself one day, "I can't think up any sin worth confessing", the next day I read how fretting and worrying leads to evil which one has to assume is probably sin. So today I can think and pray a bit about the places I've tripped across evil along the way, and I think probably God smirks a bit and says, See, it's not so hard to hear me after all!

 

It's really not, and that is one of the lovelies of both Lent and the Bible - if a person makes a bit of space, a person is likely going to hear The Word and The Good News and of course both just can't help but bring Life. Even if it's Life with A Bit O' Sin.

When you get to verse seven, I wonder if you like me will take a minute to imagine what it would be like to sit still and wait for God to show up and NOT worry about how good it's looking for other people. Especially the other people who appear to be doing so much better than we. What if every time the worry snuck in through an unlocked window, we shushed it and said I'm waiting for God.  In my mind, I'm crouched in a dark room, watching intently for The Light to sneak in under the door (remember Advent? all that watching for Light? We get to do it again!).

Oh Lent. This could work out for us.

Psalm 37

Of David.

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.

¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.