Psalm 37 Meaning: Trusting God When the Wicked Prosper

June 9, 2025

Have you ever watched someone get ahead by doing things the wrong way—cheating, lying, or just being a bully—and thought, why does this keep happening? Why do those who play by the rules, live for God, and walk in faithfulness seem to suffer, while those who flaunt God’s wisdom seem to thrive? If you’ve felt that tension, Psalm 37 is for you.

Two Common Reactions to Injustice

David opens the psalm with a simple but hard-to-follow command:

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!” (Psalm 37:1)

When the wicked prosper, our hearts can quickly fill with two kinds of reactions:

  • Fretting: Getting agitated, angry, and internally stewing. To fret literally means to get hot!
  • Envying: Resenting others’ success and wondering if life outside of God’s wisdom is actually better.

Let’s be real—these reactions are natural. Who hasn’t felt the heat rising when someone cuts corners and gets rewarded for it? Or looked at another family’s perfect vacation posts and wondered, why can’t that be me? Honestly, I’ve never had travel envy—no place on earth is worth getting on a plane for me to go see. I’m just fine sitting my tail in my little slice of Summerfield, North Carolina! But hey, for some of us, those Instagram travel influencers really can stir up that itch. Yet the Bible warns us: don’t go there. Because there’s a deeper perspective that changes everything.

Why Psalm 37 Tells Us Not to Fret

“For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” (Psalm 37:2)

The psalmist reminds us: what you see is not what will last.

In the moment, the prosperity of the wicked can look like it’s going to last forever—but it won’t. It’s as fleeting as summer grass, here today and gone tomorrow. One thing we have to remember here is that wrong thinking creates wrong feelings. But when we see time from God’s perspective, it reframes everything. Our lives on earth are a vapor—a tiny blip in eternity. What matters most isn’t who wins today’s game, but who lives in light of God’s kingdom forever. And trusting in God’s wisdom is what will guard us against sinful reactions.

The Heart of Psalm 37’s Wisdom

Psalm 37 isn’t just about what not to do. It’s about what to do instead:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3–4)

Wisdom isn’t passive—it’s active. Instead of stewing over someone else’s success, Psalm 37 calls us to:

  • Trust God’s goodness and plan.
  • Do good—keep living in integrity.
  • Dwell and befriend faithfulness—stay planted and keep growing.
  • Delight in the Lord—let Him be your greatest joy.

When we delight in God, something amazing happens: our desires change. We begin to long for what He wants—righteousness, justice, his kingdom come. And God delights to give us those very things.

Faith Comes First—Then God Acts

Psalm 37 flips the script on how faith works: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” (v.5) We often want to see God act first—then we’ll trust. But Psalm 37 says: trust first, commit first. That’s faith. Like the story of filling jars with water and watching God turn it to wine—our job is to prepare the jars. God’s job is to do the miracle.

The Gospel and the Ultimate Injustice

If you’re struggling to believe that God really is in control when the wicked prosper, remember this: The greatest moment of wickedness looked like the triumph of evil—the cross of Christ. The righteous suffered. The wicked seemed to win. But out of that apparent injustice, God brought the greatest victory of all: our salvation. Jesus was cut off so that we could inherit salvation. If God was working for your good even there, you can trust he’s working for your good now—no matter how things appear.

What Should We Do Today?

For the non-believer: Understand that this fleeting life isn’t the end of the story. Will you trade momentary prosperity for an eternity with God?

For the believer: Ask yourself—what burns you up?

  • Is it the news?
  • Someone who hurt you?
  • The feeling of being left out or overlooked?

Psalm 37 invites you to release those burdens. To trust that God sees it all. To rest in the fact that the expulsive power of a new affection—delighting in God himself—can push out fretting, envy, and resentment.

Final Encouragement

Psalm 37 is a call to trust and follow God’s wisdom. When we delight in him, we find a joy and security that nothing in this world can match. So, let’s be a people who trust, do, dwell, delight—and wait for the Lord to make all things right.

Watch the full sermon from week five of our “A Selection of Psalms” sermon series: