Stay Focused, Forever!

November 25, 2025

Scripture

“Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade

like the grass and wither like the green herb.  Trust in the Lord and do good…”  Psalm 37:1-3a

Stay Focused, Forever!

I worry when I am afraid, I am anxious when I feel alone, I fret when sadness is an extended season.  Eventually, David learned that fretting and worrying and anxiety do not change things nor do they change people. 

My worry will not change what other people choose to do or say or expect of me.

My lightly veiled fretting I call prayer will not change my circumstances.

My anxious thinking will not change the hurt or restore the brokenness in me.

And yet, too many of us find ourselves in a season of worry, anxiety, and fretting.  When we get bombarded with one problem after another, one disappointment after another, or one hurtful thing after another our life can feel like we are in a spin cycle. 

We are left grasping for something, anything, onto which to hold.  We are often tempted to put our trust in the very things or people that will not help.  We loose our focus on doing the things and trusting the things that will help us survive the tough times.

In Psalm 37:1-2 David writes; “Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.”  David understands how easy it is to choose worrying, fretting, and being anxious when things are difficult for us or for someone about whom we care. 

David reminds us that the very people we envy because they seem to have the good life or because they seem to be getting ahead or because they don’t seem to have the struggles we are experiencing will not last.  In Psalm 37:2, David says the people we envy who are getting ahead through evil means  “…will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.”

And yet, it is easy to be angry and envious and impatient when we focus on those who get ahead by evil methods.  When life keeps knocking me down, it is easy to want what the cheaters have, what the manipulators have, and what the dishonest have.

But, David says life will not last in them, light will not remain in them, and hope will not grow in them.  They end up destroying all that is fragile, depreciating all that is weak, and tearing down all that does not build them up.  Ironically, we sometimes focus upon those who get ahead in these ways even when they compromise everything for which we stand. 

It is difficult to stay focused upon our Heavenly Father’s provision for me, upon Jesus’ love for me, and upon the Holy Spirit’s power in me.  When I loose that focus, my heart and mind and soul become filled more and more with worry and fretting and anxiety.  Distractions, discontentment, and distortions fill my heart, mind, and soul rather than being filled with the presence and power of the Lord God.  We are reminded to stay focused on Jesus. 

Reflect

How are you staying focused upon the goodness and grace of God rather upon the things and people that cause you to worry or fret or be anxious?  Are your prayers and the frequency of your prayers reducing worry and anxiety or are your prayers becoming just another expression of fretting?  What can you do today to shift your focus from the circumstances and people that invite you to worry to trusting the Lord even more?

Pray

Jesus, I admit I am too often drawn into comparing my life and my faith to the life and faith of people I know are getting ahead in ways that do not honor You.  I am often left feeling discontent, discouraged, or depressed.

Remind me in my prayers, in my worship, in the Bible, and in conversations with other Christ-followers that the things that are accomplished through evil ways will not last.  Remind me that so many of the things I admire and envy and desire do not lead me to love You or my family and friends or the poor any more. 

Forgive me for my focus on the wrong things.  Restore in me, a heart eager and willing to chase after you rather than the people and things of the world.  I pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Act   

Write a prayer to Jesus.  In your prayer, do an honest inventory of the people in your life who seem to have the things you desire for your life.  Do you believe that person(s) is getting those things by loving and obeying the Lord God?  Or, are they getting those things through less than holy, less than honest, and less than God-honoring ways?  Ask Jesus to shift your focus to trusting Him more so you can trust Him to provide the things you need most when you need them most.