Psalm 37:1–9 // Waiting rather than striving // Hannah Defendorf
“Don’t worry… just relax!”
So cliché. And yet—easier said than done, right?
Most of us don’t struggle with doing nothing—we struggle with doing too much. We strive. We push. We worry. We hustle for control. We try to force outcomes, protect ourselves, compare our lives to others, and fix what feels broken—all while quietly growing weary, anxious, and sometimes even bitter.
Psalm 37 meets us right there. Three times in the opening verses, David tells us plainly: “Do not fret.” Not once. Not twice. Three times.
Why? Because fretting reveals something deeper—not just behavior, but heart posture. It exposes where we are striving instead of trusting.
Psalm 37 strongly affirms that God actively governs human affairs. He is not distant. He is not passive. He is not unaware. He orders events, outcomes, and timing—even when we cannot see how.
And so David gives us these invitations:
- Trust in the Lord.
- Delight yourself in the Lord.
- Commit your way to the Lord.
- Be still before the Lord.
Notice what is not included. There is no command to fix everything. No instruction to control outcomes.
Instead, these are not passive emotions—they are spiritual disciplines. They are active postures of surrender.
Waiting is not weakness. Waiting is strength, rooted in trust in God’s providence and submission to His sanctifying work.
Our culture trains us to believe we can—and must—control most things. Scripture gently and consistently reminds us that our lives are dust, and our hope—our present and eternal future—is found only in Him.
Striving says, “I must make this happen.”
Waiting says, “God is already at work.”
Lent invites us to pause—not just externally, but internally. It calls us to loosen our grip, quiet our striving, and allow God to mature our faith and weaken our self-reliance.
Waiting is choosing obedience without urgency.
It is trusting God without demanding immediate proof.
It is resting in the truth that He will act—in His time, in His way, for His glory and our good.
A Question to Consider
What am I trying to force that God may be asking me to wait on?
What would obedience look like without urgency?
Prayer Prompt
Take a moment to ask God what He is inviting you to release. Ask Him to help you wait—not passively, but confidently—in His timing.
