Be Still _ Psalm 37

ILLUST-

According to the New York Times, Americans are among the most anxious people on earth. One study found that Americans were significantly more anxious than residents of nations like Nigeria, Lebanon, and Ukraine. We spend billions of dollars every year on antianxiety medications and additional millions to fund research into the causes and cures for anxiety disorders.

(https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/19/opinion/sunday/the-anxious-americans.html)

But Paul writes:

Philippians 4:6

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

“Yeah, right Paul” You try:

Working two jobs

Being a single mom

studying for that test

I’ve got:

all these health issues to deal with

bills to pay ends to make meet

mouths to feed

socks to wash

projects to complete

oil to change

taxes to finish

emails to return

and now a Bible reading plan to complete (Thanks, Pastor Jason!)

Busyness is a word that describes most if not all of us, and anxiety is its handmaiden.

“We are raising the most anxious generation in history.”

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls it The Anxious Generation—kids growing up in a world dominated by smartphones and social media, where childhood has shifted from play and independence to screens and isolation. Anxiety, depression, and loneliness have skyrocketed.

Church leader Thom Rainer builds on this by asking a critical question: What does this mean for the church? He argues that Gen Z isn’t just anxious—they’re also spiritually hungry. They long for real relationships, deep truth, and a place to belong.

This isn’t just a crisis—it’s a calling. The church has a unique opportunity to offer what the world can’t: authentic community, unchanging truth, and the peace of Christ that overcomes anxiety.

Anxiety is nothing new, and I’m convinced that

The cure for anxiety is less about the removal of our problems and more about resting in the God who can actually change them.

What are you worried about this morning? What is your source of anxiety?

Write it down

Psalm 37

Psalm of David

Acrostic

David must have found himself looking at someone who was not following God and seeing how easy their life seemed.

Can you relate? Did you ever see someone who doesn’t follow Jesus and wonder why they seem to struggle less? Wonder if you would worry less if you didn’t tithe? Wonder if you would have less anxiety if you could get that extra work done on Sunday rather than meet the rest of the church.

Psalm 37:1–11

[1] Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

[2] For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

[3] Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

[4] Delight yourself 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 act.

[6] He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

[7] Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

[8] Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Three times David says to ‘fret not’ = to become hot, agitated, excited.

What is it that would make us hot? that would cause us to fret? It is that we see those who do not follow God who seem to have an easier life - less stress, less anxiety, less worries, more things going well for them.

It can cause us to become angry, even more stressed and anxious, perhaps even wonder if it is even worth following Jesus at all.

David is going to show us:

Even if you have more problems than someone who doesn’t follow Jesus, you can still have more peace.

Perhaps you’ve seen the bumper sticker:

Know Jesus, Know Peace. No Jesus, No Peace.

I would argue without Jesus, the only real way to reduce anxiety is to remove the stressor or to ignore it.

Four steps in finding the Answer to Anxiety:

1)Look past your problems and remember your future.

Look out

[1] Fret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not envious of wrongdoers!

[2] For they will soon fade like the grass

and wither like the green herb.

My translation: Don’t crash out because of those who do the wrong things and seem to get away with it. They will only last about as long as Indiana grass when summer finally hits!

Fear is always an allusion. It is the anticipation of the thing and not the thing itself. It is the anticipation of the thing in relationship to other things and not reality

Worry happens when we are near sighted. Worry happens when we have a near sighted view of our situation

The picture clears when we are heaven-focused.

ILLUST - My extreme near-sightedness closes in my world and can raise my fears, but expanding my view corrects the perspective and brings peace.

anxiety is about our perspective how do we change our perspective?

What is projected on the screen of your mind? Pictures of fear or pictures of faith?

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 Not talking about the power of positive thinking.

I’m talking about thinking positively about Gods power.

Power of positive thinking says to think in such a way that it creates a reality.

I’m talking about thinking about reality in a way that really changes your thinking!

2)Shift your focus to God and his goodness.

Look up

[3] Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

[4] Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Trust in the LORD

Opposite = ‘Trust in myself and do ‘whatever it takes.’’

Notice David’s focus. Not trust in himself. Not even trust in “God,”

but trust in Yahweh - God’s personal name.

The bigger your view of God, the smaller your fears and anxieties become.

Fear is based on an illusion. It is not the thing itself, but an anticipation of what might be.

Because of this, fear can change with our perspective.

ILLUST - We saw Jurassic Park yesterday. Father in the movie cradling daughter’s face when the NOPE-a-saurus is bearing down on them.

OR

Kids walking with me in the dark

You can be at peace and still have a problem. your problem doesn’t determine your peace, the object of your trust does.

Find this verse:

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Delight yourself in the LORD

Find goodness not in getting what you want, but in God getting what HE wants.

So many of our anxieties are self focused.

How many of us are really torn up about:

greenhouse gasses

national debt

the homeless

the unreached

One who delights in the Lord will have desires that conform to God’s will for their lives. God will grant what they request

 Tremper Longman III, Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary

Create some verse cards to help shift your focus onto God.`

Philippians 4:6-7

Matthew 6:25-33

1 Peter 5:7

Psalm 94:19

Psalm 46:1

3)Release your problems to the One who can actually fix them.

Let Go

Commit to God what is out of your control.

[5] Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

[6] He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

‘Commit’ = גלל

Is more often translated “To roll away”

has the idea of rolling an object from one person and onto another.

‘way’ = דֶּ֫רֶךְ

means your way of life

We often get hung up in two areas that end up significantly increasing our anxiety:

Things we CAN’T control.

Things we SHOULDN’T control.

Things we CAN’T control.

What really CAN we control? There is very little in your control so why do you assume the responsibility?

ILLUST - assumed worry - I couldn’t control my daughter when she competed in gymnastics, but I sure felt the anxiety at each meet.

Things we SHOULDN’T control.

Let’s be real for a moment - How much of your anxiety, worry, and stress is from the fact that you truly believe God CANNOT take care of your needs and fears, and how much is from the fact that you really have never even asked him to.

Philippians 4:6

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (NLT)

Oftentimes the best way to release something to God is to pray.

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

trust in him, and he will act.

If you trust your life to God, he will act - ‘make’ something from your life.

If I only had ________ I would be happy.

If only __________ were gone from my life I would be less stressed.

The problem is, this can’t bring true and lasting peace. It attaches your sense of peace to something or someone who will fail you at some time.

True and lasting peace is not found by the addition or subtraction of anything from your life.

It comes from the releasing your grip on your problems and placing them into God’s hands.

4)Be still.

Wait

[7] Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

[8] Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

It is very difficult to accomplish steps one through three on the run.

We are a people with spiritual ADHD.

For a husband to lose his wife because he is always busy at work ends up sacrificing the best thing on the altar of a good thing.

You will always accomplish more by waiting on the God who creates the universe with a word, than you will by exhausting all of your time, energy, and resources in a rush.

While Moses and the people of God were caught between Pharaoh and the Red Sea:

Exodus 14:13–14 ESV

13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Here’s the truth: if we don’t wait patiently, we generally end up in trouble.

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Worrying never leads anywhere good.

“When our lives are frantic and frenzied, we are more prone to anxiety, resentment, impatience, and irritability.”

(Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy)

How many of you become nicer people when you are anxious?

The real question is, What will it take for us to be still?

*Pray* Look out - Look up - Let Go - Wait *Pray*

Psalm 37:23–26 ESV

23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; 24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 26 He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.

Conclusion

Maybe you need to confess to God that you have been more focused on your problems than on the God who can actually fix them.

Maybe you need to release what you wrote on your paper.

Maybe you need to be still before you are made to be still.

Sit during the song. Find someone around you who is sitting and pray with them.

Isaiah 26:3–4

[3] You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

[4] Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. (ESV)