Psalm 37 mentions the command ‘do not fret’ three times in the space of a few verses (Ps 37:1, 7, 8) Fretting often seems to us less serious than worrying or being anxious, but it can be just as destructive to our mental and physical health. The word in English is from the Germanic root meaning ‘to eat completely’ and could also be translated as ‘devour, feed upon or consume’ Fretting has this effect on us: it eats us up as we gnaw away at a problem, ‘worrying’ it as my grandfather used to describe his dog’s enjoyment of a bone.
Fretting also has the idea in English of wearing away by rubbing or scraping, and this idea of consuming by rubbing away is also present in our understanding of this verb, ‘rubbing us sore’, as it were.
The Hebrew word used in Psalm 37 has the idea of burning or consuming by fire. Fretting eats away at our peace, causing discontent to rise within us, and so it is vital that we choose to focus our attention on God rather than on evil. (Ps 37:1-2, 7) The antidote to being worn out through the friction of the world is to be still before the Lord and to wait patiently for Him. (Ps 37:7) The antidote to burning out is to refrain from anger and turn from wrath, a conscious decision not to let other people or circumstances rob us of God’s peace. (Ps 37:7-8) In all things, we have to keep the long view (Ps 37:2, 9) and learn to trust in God and do good (Ps 37:3), delight in Him (Ps 37:4) and commit our ways to Him. (Ps 37:5)
