Psalm 37:1-6 (NIV)

¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil

  or be envious of those who do wrong;

² for like the grass they will soon wither,

  like green plants they will soon die away.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good;

  dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴ Take delight 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 do this:

⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

  your vindication like the noonday sun.

Old Testament Story: 

Ruth 1:1–18, 2:1–13

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong. —Psalm 37:1

1 Do not fret because of those who do evil—be part of a family that is focused on the right things.

“It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another.” —Margaret Wheatley

2 Do not fret because of those who do evil—do good.

Wendell Berry, Sabbaths – 1993, I

No, no, there is no going back.

Less and less you are

that possibility you were.

More and more you have become

those lives and deaths

that have belonged to you.

You have become a sort of grave

containing much that was

and is no more in time, beloved

then, now, and always.

And you have become a sort of tree

standing over a grave.

Now more than ever you can be

generous toward each day

that comes, young, to disappear

forever, and yet remain

unaging in the mind.

Every day you have less reason

not to give yourself away.

3 Do not fret because of those who do evil—find shelter under God’s wing.

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.” —Malachi 4:2