When the world is worrisome
Lent Reflection #34 2026 from Alison Lloyd
Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness…
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act…
Do not fret over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices. Refrain from anger and forsake wrath! Do not fret; it tends only to evil.
Psalm 37:5-8
There’s plenty of wrongdoing and ‘evil devices’ in our world to fret over. Every morning the news brings one worrisome or grievous act after another. Closer to home, we are impacted by local government decisions, a selfish neighbour, a difficult family member, or an untrustworthy workmate. I could wish (I have wished) I were somewhere else. I might actively take steps to remove myself from the situation.
When global circumstances get grim, as at the moment, it’s hard to escape the whole world. At times like this, fear gnaws. There’s not much I can do about the circumstances. It’s easy to get resentful or angry at the people causing them. I could – I have! – criticised and complained.
Psalm 37 is not telling me evil-doing doesn’t matter, or has no consequences. But it is saying to hang in there. Dwell in the land God has given you to work. Don’t up stakes and move because there’s trouble. This isn’t blindly hoping things will be ok. I’m not called to trust in a rose-tinted optimism about human nature. I’m called to trust in God. He will act.
Sometimes being faithful means not reacting, except by trusting God. For me, this might look like talking less about the wrongness of others, and more about the rightness of God. It might look like keeping on going, as cheerfully as possible, where I am. Sometimes, the way to follow Jesus is to not to go anywhere.
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