Do not fret

Do not fret (Psalm 37:1)

The passage introduces the October 10 reading in Streams of Devotion (L. Cowan ed,, Zondervan, 1997, pp. 382-3). I have quoted from this volume, with which I begin many of my days, before.

The Author continues: “…what does it mean to fret? One person defined it as what makes a person rough on the surface, causing him to rub and wear himself and others away. Isn’t it true that an irritable, irrational and critical person not only wears himself out but is also very draining and tiring to others? When we worry and fret, we are a constant annoyance…

‘Any physician can tell you that a fit of anger is more harmful to your system than a fever and that a disposition of continual fretting is not conducive to a healthy body. The next step down from fretting is being quick tempered and that amounts to anger.

'May we set aside it once and for all and simply be obedient to the command, ‘do not fret.’’