Do not fret.
—Psalm 37:1
When things seem to be spinning out of control and evil seems to be winning Psalm 37 serves up this advice: Keep your eyes on the Lord; trust him and wait patiently for him to act . . .
Trust in the Lord (v. 3);
Delight in the Lord (v. 4);
Commit your way to the Lord (v. 5);
Be still before the Lord (v. 7);
Wait for the Lord (v. 34).
How embarrassing to stand before the Lord and hear him say: you didn’t trust deeply enough; you didn’t delight often enough; you didn’t commit completely enough; you didn’t seek stillness frequently enough; you didn’t wait long enough.
Fretting is harmful and needless. God is in control. Trust him. Delight in him. Commit your way to him. Be still before him. Wait for him.
You can fret, and you can trust.
But you can’t do both at the same time.