Strong Words orWise Silence

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! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. (Psalm 37:7-9 ESV).

Following Mary’s surgery I had a great opportunity to make a decision of whether to use “strong words or wise words?” I am glad that I chose the latter rather than the former. Once Mary was cleared to transition to a regular room from ICU we discovered the importance of the RRT (Rapid Response Team). She had a close call with low blood pressure causing her to nearly pass out. The nurse in the room with us at the time called the code for the RRT while I was supporting her head and trying to support her weight from further fall. Within seconds there were a dozen people who converged on the room. Some brought equipment, one had a rolling crash cart, and I was relegated to the perimeter of the scene, helplessly watching. One of the last people to arrive, though still within a minute’s time, identified herself as one of the hospital chaplains. She asked me if I needed to sit down or have a drink of water? I wanted to shout, “NO! I want my wife to be OK”! Fortunately I didn’t say anything. My silence was intentional. I’ve learned through the years that our reading is true. We often need to be “still” before the Lord. That’s one of those wise responses to life. There are several of those in this psalm: trust,” “do good,” “dwell,” “enjoy,” “delight,” “commit,” “be still,” “wait.” All these words are used in reference to the Lord. The psalmist calls us to “trust in the LORD”; “take delight in the LORD”; “commit your way to the LORD”; “be still before the LORD”; “wait patiently for him.” And we can only “do good” in the strength of the Lord. We can only “dwell in the land” that God gives us. We can only “enjoy safe pasture” that the Lord promises and provides for us. And, fretting is discouraged three times in these verses. It doesn’t take long to figure out why. When we fret, we do not trust in the Lord, we do not delight in the Lord, we do not commit our way to the Lord, we are not still before the Lord, and we do not wait patiently for the Lord. When we fret, we do not do good, we do not dwell with God, and we do not enjoy the Lord’s safe pasture. Fretting, like a termite, nibbles at the trusses of trust. Fretting dehydrates our delight into the dryness of despair. Fretting babbles and gabbles away our stillness. Trusting in the Lord and fretting are incompatible. Lent is a good time to turn aside from fretting and be filled with faith. Take inventory of your resources. Make a renewed effort to employ wise silence.